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Scientific dissemination programs seem prepared for all types of audiences, but certain groups are often left out because specialists do not think about them when planning them. Those groups include people with physical and intellectual... more
Scientific dissemination programs seem prepared for all types of audiences, but certain groups are often left out because specialists do not think about them when planning them. Those groups include people with physical and intellectual disabilities, older adults, people at risk of social exclusion and newcomers. In this article, we present two outreach activities on Prehistory specifically designed for people with intellectual disabilities. We believe that the model used, the evaluation carried out and the results obtained can be useful for other research groups or educators who work with people with intellectual disabilities.
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Éxodo, las rutas del neolítico: vida y muerte en las primeras comunidades agricultoras y pastores del noreste de la Península Ibérica In recent years the signatories of this presentation have worked on two lines of research related to... more
Éxodo, las rutas del neolítico:
vida y muerte en las primeras comunidades agricultoras
y pastores del noreste de la Península Ibérica
In recent years the signatories of this presentation have worked on two lines of research related to the process of neolitization and the knowledge of the first farming and pastoral communities that occupied the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. In this respect, while the study of certain agricultural techniques allows us to hypothesize on the routes and territories occupied by the Neolithic societies during their expansion in the Mediterranean, the analysis of the funerary contexts brings us closer to their social and economic organization.
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In this article, a zooarchaeological and isotopic analysis is presented for 26 dog exemplars (Canis familiaris). These dogs were deposited in burial and ceremonial structures in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula during the Middle... more
In this article, a zooarchaeological and isotopic analysis is presented for 26 dog exemplars (Canis familiaris). These dogs were deposited in burial and ceremonial structures in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Neolithic, within the Pit Grave cultural horizon (ca. 4200–3600 cal BC). Four archaeological sites of the Catalonian coastal strip are studied: Camí de Can Grau, La Serreta, Ca l'Arnella, and Bòbila Madurell (one of the most important necropolises of the Iberian Peninsula). The presence of these dogs is interpreted as evidence of accompanying offerings and represents the most ancient use of this animal in the context of burials within the studied territory. Although it is a not a globally recorded gesture during this period, in light of the present results, it can be considered as a stereotyped ritual activity and evidence of the close relationship between these animals and the human communities. The diet of most of the dogs must be considered mixed and very similar to that of the humans, including consumption of herbivores and terrestrial plants.
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Resumo: Os artefactos em sílex dos dólmenes da Lapa da Meruje (Vouzela) e de Antelas (Oliveira de Frades), cuja construção se atribui aos inícios do IV milénio a.C., foram analisados por forma a providenciar uma primeira imagem abrangente... more
Resumo:
Os artefactos em sílex dos dólmenes da Lapa da Meruje (Vouzela) e de Antelas (Oliveira de Frades), cuja construção se atribui aos inícios do IV milénio a.C., foram analisados por forma a providenciar uma primeira imagem abrangente das estratégias de exploração, circulação e utilização do sílex no megalitismo da região de Lafões, uma das subáreas do importante núcleo megalítico da Beira Alta. Os conjuntos são formados sobretudo por geométricos trapezoidais, surgindo os segmentos em segundo plano. A origem do sílex pôde determinar-se para o primeiro caso (área de Rio Maior), sendo que em Antelas se observaram cinco possíveis áreas de aprovisionamento (por identificar). A análise traceológica revelou que a larga maioria das peças de Antelas não foi utilizada antes da sua deposição naqueles dólmenes; inversamente, os geométricos da Lapa da Meruje foram obtidos a partir lâminas previamente utilizadas e depois efetivamente usados como pontas de projétil. Nota-se, nestes casos, que as pontas foram encabadas transversalmente, uma técnica que já havia sido reconhecida na famosa pintura de arqueiro do dólmen de Juncais (Vila Nova de Paiva). No seu conjunto, estes primeiros resultados revelam uma elevada complexidade dos circuitos de abastecimento de sílex no megalitismo beirão. As diferentes intensidades observadas no seu uso significará também diferentes capacidades de aquisição de matérias-primas exógenas. A explicação para tais contrastes deverá radicar no quadro socioeconómico e na organização social destas comunidades.

Abstract:
The flint artefacts from the dolmens of Lapa da Meruje (Vouzela) and Antelas (Oliveira de Frades), which were built at the beginning of the fourth millennium BC, were analysed in order to provide a first comprehensive portrayal of its exploration, circulation and use in the megalithic region of Lafões, one of the subareas of the important megalithic clusters of Beira Alta. These assemblages are formed mainly by trapezoidal geometrics, followed by segments. The origin of the flint could be determined for the first case (Rio Maior area), with five possible supply areas (to be identified) being observed among the Antelas material. The analysis showed that the vast majority of the Antelas artefacts were not used before their deposition; conversely, the geometrics from Lapa of Meruje were obtained from previously used blades and later effectively used as projectile points. It should be noted in these latter cases that they were transversely hafted, a technique that had already been recognized in the famous painting of an archer at the dolmen of Juncais (Vila Nova de Paiva). Taken together, these preliminary results reveal a high complexity of the flint supply circuits in the Beira Alta megalithism. The different intensities observed in the use of flint artefacts will also mean different capacities for the acquisition of exogenous raw materials. An explanation for such contrasts should lie in the socioeconomic and social organization framework of these communities.
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Este trabajo nace como resultado del descubrimien-to de un tipo particular de instrumento lítico docu-mentado recientemente en dos de los yacimientos de Juberri, Camp del Colomer y Carrer Llinàs. Se trata de unos punzones, básicamente de... more
Este trabajo nace como resultado del descubrimien-to de un tipo particular de instrumento lítico docu-mentado recientemente en dos de los yacimientos de Juberri, Camp del Colomer y Carrer Llinàs. Se trata de unos punzones, básicamente de sección triangular o cuadrangular, elaborados con esquisto.
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This paper reports the results of a series of recent experiments in which stone adzes and axes were used in woodworking, butchering, hide processing and hoeing activities. The aim of this work is to describe progress in the... more
This paper reports the results of a series of recent experiments in which stone adzes and axes were used in woodworking, butchering, hide processing and hoeing activities. The aim of this work is to describe progress in the differentiation between the various kinds of use-wear on polished stone surfaces. The ultimate objective is to create a reference collection suitable for performing the use-wear analysis on polished adzes and axes discovered in archaeological contexts. Particularly, we wish to contribute to the understanding of the role that these tools played in the different economic and ritual activities of the Neolithic communities living in the North East of the Iberian Peninsula around the middle of the 5th and 4th millennium cal. BC.
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Entendemos que el reconocimiento de la función de los instrumentos líticos puede aproximarnos a las actividades que realizaban las primeras comunidades neolíticas que se asentaron en el noreste de la península ibérica. Uno de los... more
Entendemos que el reconocimiento de la función de los instrumentos líticos puede aproximarnos a las actividades que realizaban las primeras comunidades neolíticas que se asentaron en el noreste de la península ibérica. Uno de los contextos donde poder abordar tales cuestiones es el yacimiento al aire libre de Les Guixeres de Vilobí. Perteneciente al neolítico antiguo, es uno de los pocos asentamientos de este periodo con estructuras internas y un número relevante de útiles líticos. En este trabajo presentamos una primera aproximación a la morfología, la tecnología y la funcionalidad de dicho utillaje. Su localización en el área excavada nos permite evaluar si hay una organización del espacio con respecto al lugar dónde se efectuaron ciertas actividades. Aunque este artículo se centra en Les Guixeres de Vilobí, los resultados funcionales serán contextualizados y comparados con otros yacimientos contemporáneos o próximos cronológicamente.
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The lakeshore settlement of ‘La Marmotta’ represents one of the earliest evidence for seafaring farmers in Italy (ca. 5900-5600 cal BC) and one of the earliest wetland sites of the entire Central Mediterranean Basin. The site is unique... more
The lakeshore settlement of ‘La Marmotta’ represents one of the earliest evidence for seafaring farmers in Italy (ca. 5900-5600 cal BC) and one of the earliest wetland sites of the entire Central Mediterranean Basin. The site is unique for the richness and variety of organic materials preserved (i.e. foodstuff, wood and plant crafts, house remains, pirogues, etc.), especially if compared with the rest of Early Neolithic sites in the Italian Peninsula. Nevertheless, due to several reasons, the site has still been little integrated within the debate on the Neolithization process. How can the huge amount of data obtained from ‘La Marmotta’ be transposed to the surroundings, contemporaneous, dryland sites? This is a compelling challenge, especially considering that often no comparable records exist in sites characterized by drier preservation conditions. In this presentation we will focus on the lithic assemblage and on the several wooden sickles recovered from this site. The integration of both records can help us understanding the harvesting techniques adopted during Early Neolithic and provide a fundamental reference for the rest of Impressed Ware sites of the Central and Western Mediterranean.
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En este artículo presentamos parte de la divulgación científica que venimos realizando en Barcelona desde el año 2013. El objetivo no ha sido tanto explicar las actividades realizadas, sino la forma cómo este proyecto ha llegado a los... more
En este artículo presentamos parte de la divulgación científica que venimos realizando en Barcelona desde el año 2013. El objetivo no ha sido tanto explicar las actividades realizadas, sino la forma cómo este proyecto ha llegado a los ciudadanos. Poder construir divulgación científica fuera de los centros habitualmente dedicados a ello, como
por ejemplo los museos, las universidades o los campos arqueológicos, sólo es posible a través de la implicación de las asociaciones que trabajan en el territorio y los vecinos que allí viven. Pretendemos que la relación que se ha establecido entre investigadores, asociaciones y ciudadanos pueda servir de modelo para otros proyectos similares que se organicen en cualquier ciudad o pueblo.
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La Cova de l'Avellaner es uno de los contextos arqueológicos del noreste peninsular más conocidos perteneciente cronológicamente a los inicios del neolítico. La presencia de tres cavidades con numerosos restos humanos y su cronología... more
La Cova de l'Avellaner es uno de los contextos arqueológicos del noreste peninsular más conocidos perteneciente cronológicamente a los inicios del neolítico. La presencia de tres cavidades con numerosos restos humanos y su cronología neolítica tan antigua, ha hecho de este yacimiento un lugar de referencia sobre las prácticas funerarias realizadas por aquellas primigenias comunidades agricultoras y pastoras. Las primeras dataciones que se realizaron a inicios de los 90 ofrecieron resultados con márgenes de incertidumbre demasiado altos, que generaban ciertas dudas sobre su validez. Por ello, recientemente decidimos iniciar un programa de dataciones para concretar la cronología de los tres espacios funerarios documentados. Se fecharon tres individuos, uno de cada espacio. Los resultados de esas dataciones y su contextualización en el marco de las primeras prácticas funerarias del noreste peninsular constituyen el objetivo del presente artículo. LABURPENA Neolitiko garaiko hasieran kokatu daitezkeen kontextu arkeologikoetatik hoberen ezagutzen denetako bat dugu Cova de l'Avellaner. Izan ere, haitzulo honek dituen hiru geletan topatzen diren giza aztarna ugari eta aintzineko kronologiak, lehen nekazal eta artzainei buruzko ikerke-tarako erreferentzi bilakatu dute. Dena den, lortu ziren lehen datazioek zeukaten ziurgarritasun marjin altuek beraien baliozkotazunari buruzko kezkak sortu zituzten. Hori dela eta, datazio programa berri bat hastea erabaki genuen, haitzuloaren hiru eremuen kronologia zehaztu ahal iza-teko. Helburu honekin, gela bakoitzeko gizabanako baten laginak datatu ziren. Artikulu honen helburuak datazio hauen emaitzak eta hauekin, Iberiar Penintsulako lehen ehortze praktiken testuinguru barruan, egindako interpretazioak azaltzea dira. ABSTRACT Until a few years ago, the available information regarding the funerary practices of the first Neolithic communities was negligible. Currently, this has changed significantly, thanks, particularly, to the works carried out in sites such as Cova Bonica or Can Sadurní. In this context, the Cova de l'Avellaner, the addressed site of this paper, was one of the best-known Early-Neolithic archaeological contexts from the Northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. The site has three cavities with numerous human remains. This exceptional archaeological record and its old chronology have made this cave a reference site of the funerary practices of the first farming societies. The information provided, both by contexts such as Cova de l'Avellaner, and those currently being excavated, seem to show that the caves were selected during this time as burial sites. Different individuals were buried in those cavities, probably accompanied by different tools, containers and ornaments as grave goods. The problem is that it is practically impossible to assign such elements to each of the dead and even to recognize others who could be part of the sediment that covered the bodies. In any case, in this paper a description of the discovered materials are presented, since their characteristics can help to recognize which type of artefacts could accompany the buried and because they also have an added value as a chronological marker; this is what has helped us to define better the moment in which the burials were practiced. The first radiocarbon dates from Cova de l'Avellaner were made during the nineties and provided too wide margins, so their validity is doubtful For this reason we have recently started a radiocarbon dating programme, in order to determine the chronology of the three funerary spaces
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We propose 017 methodological interdisciplinary approach regarding the study ofthe graves, based on a theory ofsocial relations of production reproduction. The funerary examples used here comesfrom rhe neolithic period in Catalonia. The... more
We propose 017 methodological interdisciplinary approach regarding the study ofthe graves, based on a theory ofsocial relations
of production reproduction. The funerary examples used here comesfrom rhe neolithic period in Catalonia. The main concept concerns
the funerary unir, that is explained by the relationship between the container (structural morphology) and the contents (burial J. All {he
disciplines related with {he excavation and the study of a burial, make up the archaeo-anthropological analysis. We focused our approach on
anthropological, archaeozoological, archaeopetrological, lithic implements and micro-spatial studies.
Key words: Archaeoanthropology, Funerary unit, Grave-structural morphology, Burial, Neolithic.
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The reconstruction of the economy of an archaeological site is a matter of major importance within prehistoric research. In this paper, this issue is tackled from the perspective of the Traceological, or Use-Wear, analysis, showing how... more
The reconstruction of the economy of an archaeological site is a matter of major importance within prehistoric research. In this paper, this issue is tackled from the perspective of the Traceological, or Use-Wear, analysis, showing how the lithic record can be used to approach a palaeoeconomic approximation. The principles, perspectives and limits of such method are detailed discussed into the text. As a case-study, a sample of Early Neolithic sites of the NeNE of the Iberian Peninsula has been considered, all of them ranging between the mid-Sixth and mid-Fifth millennium cal BC. As result of the analysis, sites with different status have been identified; more stable and larger settlements have been differentiated from temporary and more specialized occupations on the basis of the economic process inferred through the microscopic observation. Several subsistence and craft processes, such as wood and plant crafting tasks or hide working activities, that otherwise would be difficult to detect in the archaeological record have been highlighted. Obtained results provide fresh data on the Neolithic economic organization, integrating zooarchaeological, archaeobotanical and palaeoenvironmental studies.
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This paper sets out how to approach the chronology of an archaeological funerary practice, through a specific case study: the Neolithic “Pit Burials” funerary horizon of the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. Towards the end of the fifth... more
This paper sets out how to approach the chronology of an archaeological funerary practice, through a specific case study: the Neolithic “Pit Burials” funerary horizon of the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. Towards the end of the fifth millennium cal BC, the communities settled in this region began to systematically bury a large part of their population in individual, occasionally double, pits or stone boxes burials. Clear similarities have been documented with other neolithic European funerary horizons, such as the “Chasséen” in France or the “Cortaillod” in Switzerland, that suggest that it could be a larger-scale phenomenon. However, up to now the chronology of “Pit Burials” has not been fully defined, so describing and explaining this phenomenon both regionally and globally has been difficult. This paper fills this gap by presenting, on the one hand, new unpublished radiocarbon dates, addressing the methodological possibilities of statistical analysis and Bayesian modelling of radiocarbon dates in order to specify the chronology of funerary contexts. The results presented here not only show the chronology of the “Pit Burials”, and its relationship with the other similar European burials, from this methodological point of view for the first time, but also the methodological advantages of these statistical tools in order to specify the chronology of any other archaeological funerary practice.
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Camí de Can Grau is one of the most important Neolithic necropolises of the “Pit Burials” horizon (North-East of the Iberian Peninsula. Late fifth–early fourth millennia cal BC), because of its large number of graves. However, the number... more
Camí de Can Grau is one of the most important Neolithic necropolises of the “Pit Burials” horizon (North-East of the Iberian Peninsula. Late fifth–early fourth millennia cal BC), because of its large number of graves. However, the number of buried individuals and the type of grave goods of the site have some peculiarities suggesting that could be one of the last manifestations of this horizon. For proving that, a radiocarbon dating programme and some statistical analysis were carried out so as to determine its chronology. The results are discussed regarding the duration of the necropolis, the degree of contemporaneity between graves and grave goods and the number of buried individuals. Moreover, chronological relationships with other similar contexts of the same horizon and located in other regions are presented. This study goes beyond a purely local research, as it proposes a method for addressing the chronology of funerary contexts.
Bòbila Madurell-Can Gambús is the most emblematic Neolithic cemetery in the northeastern Iberian peninsula, with a total of 179 documented pit burials. Artifacts made of exogenous raw materials, such as honey flint (southeastern France),... more
Bòbila Madurell-Can Gambús is the most emblematic Neolithic cemetery in the northeastern Iberian peninsula, with a total of 179 documented pit burials. Artifacts made of exogenous raw materials, such as honey flint (southeastern France), jadeite, amphibolite, eclogite and nephrite (Alps and the Pyrenees), variscite (coast of northeastern Iberia), and even obsidian (Sardinia), have been found in the burials. The presence of these raw materials is not exclusive to this necropolis, but they have also been documented in many of the graves of this region during this period. The literature has singled out this funerary practice as the Pit Burials cultural horizon. However, until now the chronology of this funerary practice has not been fully defined, so it was difficult to explain the development of the chronology and the networks through which the materials reached northeast Iberia. New, unpublished radiocarbon (14C) dates of Bòbila Madurell-Can Gambús are presented, as well as the results of different statistical analyses and Bayesian modeling that specify its chronology. Through the contribution of new data on the chronology of Bòbila Madurell-Can Gambús new clues regarding the temporal dynamics of pit burials and the raw materials exchange networks associated with them are presented
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We apply GIS techniques to analyze a carefully selected database of 93 Early Neolithic sites in the Iberian Peninsula. This allows us to study the spatial dynamics of the Neolithic transition in Iberia. We study how the Neolithic was... more
We apply GIS techniques to analyze a carefully selected database of 93 Early Neolithic sites in the Iberian Peninsula. This allows us to study the spatial dynamics of the Neolithic transition in Iberia. We study how the Neolithic was introduced into the peninsula in order to test the hypothesis that the Neolithic was introduced almost simultaneously from two sources: one at the northeast (via the Mediterranean coast) and another one at the south (possibly from Northern Africa). We also analyze how the expansion of the Neolithic transition took place within the Iberian Peninsula and measure local rates of spread in order to identify regions with fast and slow rates (such as the slowdown at the Cantabrian coast). In addition, we attempt to reproduce the main results obtained from the GIS analysis by applying reaction–dispersal models to the expansion of the Neolithic transition in the Iberian Peninsula. We conclude that a model with two sources is a reasonable assumption that agrees better with the archaeological data available at present than a model with a single source.
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Since its excavation, in the late 1980s, El Collado has been considered a Mesolithic funerary site. Nevertheless, recent studies of the site chronology and other material evidence - excluding the human remains - have indicated more... more
Since its excavation, in the late 1980s, El Collado has been considered a Mesolithic funerary site. Nevertheless, recent studies of the site chronology and other material evidence - excluding the human remains - have indicated more complex dynamics of this site, combining both funerary and habitation uses by Mesolithic communities.
First, a Bayesian model of the available radiocarbon dates provides information about the chronological dynamics in the human uses of the site. The model reveals that data are not representative of a single event but rather show the existence of several chronostratigraphic phases. Second, a noteworthy lithic assemblage from the site, which does not appear to be linked to the Mesolithic burials, can be attributed to the Notches and Denticulates Mesolithic facies in Mediterranean Iberia and the Ebro Basin. Technological and use-wear analyses of the lithic tools have been carried out in order to seek new data concerning the subsistence and craft activities performed by the communities that occupied the site. It must be noted that only in few cases similar studies had been applied previously on Mesolithic sites in the area of study. The first results show intense work on hard materials, such as wood, bone or antler, which a priori could lead to this site being considered a not specialized one from the functional point of view. These results are discussed taking into account all the inputs and possible biases due to the nature of the site and sampling carried out in the fieldwork.
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The functionality of Cova da Baleia (Mafra, Portugal) is hereby presented and discussed in this paper. In an excavated area of 500 m 2 was identified a large concentration of structures (128), of which 104 were in clay, with two phases of... more
The functionality of Cova da Baleia (Mafra, Portugal) is hereby presented and discussed in this paper. In an excavated area of 500 m 2 was identified a large concentration of structures (128), of which 104 were in clay, with two phases of occupation. The absolute chronology indicates a majority occupation of the second half of the 8th millennium cal BCE (Early Mesolithic) and a second phase towards the end of the 7th millennium (Late Mesolithic). Despite the excellent state of conservation of the site, the osteological remains are practically absent, possibly due to taphonomic factors. Cova da Baleia is clearly a distinctive site of the reference framework known of the Early Mesolithic times in Portugal, given the large size of the site (about 1 ha) and its structural complexity. It was clear that an interdisciplinary approach was mandatory in order to fully guarantee the site interpretation , namely regarding its functionality. The results of the use-wear and archaeobotanical studies show the relevance of wood and other hard materials, whereas the need for fire for these activities remains to be understood .
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The functionality of Cova da Baleia (Mafra, Portugal) is hereby presented and discussed in this paper. In an excavated area of 500 m 2 was identified a large concentration of structures (128), of which 104 were in clay, with two phases of... more
The functionality of Cova da Baleia (Mafra, Portugal) is hereby presented and discussed in this paper. In an excavated area of 500 m 2 was identified a large concentration of structures (128), of which 104 were in clay, with two phases of occupation. The absolute chronology indicates a majority occupation of the second half of the 8th millennium cal BCE (Early Mesolithic) and a second phase towards the end of the 7th millennium (Late Mesolithic). Despite the excellent state of conservation of the site, the osteological remains are practically absent, possibly due to taphonomic factors. Cova da Baleia is clearly a distinctive site of the reference framework known of the Early Mesolithic times in Portugal, given the large size of the site (about 1 ha) and its structural complexity. It was clear that an interdisciplinary approach was mandatory in order to fully guarantee the site interpretation , namely regarding its functionality. The results of the use-wear and archaeobotanical studies show the relevance of wood and other hard materials, whereas the need for fire for these activities remains to be understood .
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The number of prehistoric ceramic studies in Catalonia has increased since the beginning of this century. Most of these studies regard pottery as the result of a technological process and focus on raw material procurement, modifications... more
The number of prehistoric ceramic studies in Catalonia has increased since the beginning of this century. Most of these studies regard pottery as the result of a technological process and focus on raw material procurement, modifications of clay and technological aspects of manufacture. The application of these approaches allows us to distinguish different technological
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RESUMEN Actualmente, en el noreste de la Península Ibérica, se conocen muy pocos restos humanos pertenecientes a las primeras comunidades agricultoras y pastoriles de inicios del neolítico. Buena parte de las evidencias que tenemos... more
RESUMEN Actualmente, en el noreste de la Península Ibérica, se conocen muy pocos restos humanos pertenecientes a las primeras comunidades agricultoras y pastoriles de inicios del neolítico. Buena parte de las evidencias que tenemos provienen de contextos arqueológicos excava-dos con anterioridad a los años 80, lo que supone que no se dispone del mismo acerbo de análisis que se realizan en la actualidad. La ex-cavación realizada en Ca l'Estrada viene a rellenar en parte ese vacío aportando no sólo dos nuevos enterramientos, sino también toda una serie de análisis tanto del continente como del contenido de las sepulturas. Su estudio nos ha permitido conocer biológicamente a dos de los sujetos protagonistas de aquella su historia, cómo fueron inhumados y qué objetos les acompañaban. Estamos, sin duda, ante una de las pri-meras evidencias funerarias de lo que ha venido a denominarse como " la Cultura de los Sepulcros de fosa ". LABURPENA Gaur egun Iberiar Penintsularen Ipar-Ekialdean bizi izan ziren lehen talde nekazari eta artzainen giza aztarna gutxi ezagutzen dira. Ezagutzen diren ebidentzia gehienak 1980ko hamarkada baino lehenagoko indusketa arkeologikoei dagokie, eta horren ondorioz, egun egiten diren hain-bat analisiren falta dago testuinguru hauetan. Zentzu honetan Ca l'Estradan egindako indusketak hutsune hau bete egiten du, hilobi berri bi ezagutarazteaz gain, bai honen egituraren zein bere edukiaren gain egin diren azterketa guztiek aurkezten duten datuengatik. Ikerketa honek bi gizabanakoren, lurperatzearen testuingurua zein agertzen diren materialei buruzko informazioa eskaintzen du. Argi dago "la Cultura de los Sepulcros de fosa" deritzonaren lehen aztarnetariko baten inguruan ari garela lan honetan. ABSTRACT At present there are few human remains from early agricultural and pastoralists communities of the early Neolithic in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula Most of the evidence comes from archaeological contexts excavated prior to the 80's, then recent analytical are absent. The excavation in Ca l'Estrada partly fills this gap providing not only two new burials, but also a whole set of analyzes of the graves Their study has allowed us biologically meet two of the subjects protagonists of that history, how they were buried and what objects accompanied them. We are certainly at an early funerary evidence of what has come to be known as "Culture of pit graves." There are two burials; The first one comes from a cuvette of 70-80cm wide and 60-70cm deep. A woman 25-35 years old very well represented was depositated on right lateral decubitus with flexed limbs and his body was enveloped into a bundle or shroud. Under the pelvis a sheet of white flint good was found. This blade was used to cut plants near the ground or on it before putting it as dowry. It could not define the structure of the second burial. The remains correspond a part of a child of 5-6 yearsold, possibly a male. The study allows start to know biologicaly the human group that lived the zone. Likewise the detailed study of his grave has allowed to propose that it was wrapped in a shroud, deposited gathered and with the presence of a sheet of silex, attends that it might start to justify a ritual that will become more frequent in the Middle Neolithic.
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This paper presents archaeological layer XXV from Cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona), ascribed to Bronze Age, and focuses on this period’s chronological issues. Cova del Gegant yielded Late Bell Beaker pottery featuring a decorative... more
This paper presents archaeological layer XXV from Cova del Gegant (Sitges, Barcelona), ascribed to Bronze Age, and focuses on this period’s chronological issues. Cova del Gegant yielded Late Bell Beaker pottery featuring a decorative style akin to the “Northeastern Group” (generally ascribed to Early Bronze Age), human remains associated with a collective burial (radiocarbon dated to Middle Bronze Age), amber and/or resin ornaments, and two gold artifacts (very scarce in the NE of Iberian Peninsula). The archaeological artifacts and radiocarbon dating range provide important data concerning the exchange networks and movements along the Mediterranean coastline during Bronze Age.
Key words: Cova del Gegant; Late Bell Beaker pottery; Gold; Bronze Age
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Presentamos los resultados sobre la función de un conjunto de instrumentos de sílex documentados, durante las campañas de excavación de 1965 a 1967, en los niveles neo-líticos de la cueva de Nerja (sala de la Mina). la información... more
Presentamos los resultados sobre la función de un conjunto de instrumentos de sílex documentados, durante las campañas de excavación de 1965 a 1967, en los niveles neo-líticos de la cueva de Nerja (sala de la Mina). la información obtenida nos ayuda a comprender, por una parte, el peso que tuvieron algunas de las actividades realizadas por las comu-nidades humanas que habitaron esta cueva y, por otro, cómo eran los instrumentos que se destinaron a las distintas tareas. palabras claves: Neolítico-calcolítico. cueva de Nerja. utillaje lítico. traceología. abstract: this paper focus on the results on the function of flint implements recovered during the 1965-1967 field seasons from the Neolithic levels from cueva de Nerja (room of the Mina). the new data help to understand, on one hand, the importance of the daily activities carried out by the human groups that lived in the cave and, on the other hand, how the artifacts were and what they were used for.
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This paper presents dental morphological data of Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age populations from the Catalan Pre-Pyrenean area. The Neolithic group, in particular, differs from those of surrounding areas in its funerary culture:... more
This paper presents dental morphological data of Neolithic, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age populations from the Catalan Pre-Pyrenean area. The Neolithic group, in particular, differs from those of surrounding areas in its funerary culture: the building of cists, which is not present in the Sepulcres de Fossa Culture. A minimum number of 118 individuals from this area were studied for this work, and the data were compared with those of other Iberian and European groups. The results indicate that the two micro-regional groups from the Catalan area (Pre-Pyrenean and Pre-Coastal) were biologically different during the Neolithic and the Chalcolithic, but not in the Bronze Age, when they also appeared to be more homogeneous culturally. In addition, both areas differ biologically from coetaneous Italian groups, although those closer to the coast show slightly smaller differences. Finally, the Bronze Age groups also present fewer differences with regard to the Italian Bronze Age’s group. Therefore, the results suggest that the Catalan Neolithic population had two separate origins, related to cultural patterns, and that differences between the groups decreased within time, probably due to trade-related activities. Moreover, the fact that the difference with Italian populations decreased during the Bronze Age suggests major population movements through the Mediterranean that would affect the biological composition of the human groups.
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La reconstitution des techniques agricoles préhistoriques constitue un élément fondamental pour la compréhension du processus d’expansion de l’agriculture en Méditerranée occidentale. Dans le cadre d’un projet européen rassemblant des... more
La reconstitution des techniques agricoles préhistoriques constitue un élément fondamental pour la compréhension du processus d’expansion de l’agriculture en Méditerranée occidentale. Dans le cadre d’un projet européen rassemblant des tracéologues et des carpologues espagnols et français, nous avons, dans une première phase, étudié les méthodes de récolte des céréales pratiquées durant le Néolithique en Espagne et dans le Sud de la France, du Néolithique ancien au Néolithique moyen. L’étude des outils de récolte a permis de distinguer trois aires distinctes. Le Sud-Est de l’Espagne est caractérisé par des faucilles courbes avec des éléments insérés obliquement dans le manche. En Catalogne, Languedoc et Provence, la majorité des faucilles sont constituées de longues lames emmanchées parallèlement au manche, mais d’autres modèles existent. En Espagne cantabrique, les céréales étaient récoltées sans faucille. Nos travaux en cours explorent différents facteurs pouvant expliquer cette variabilité : conditions environnementales, types de céréales cultivées, finalités techniques et alimentaires de la culture des céréales, techniques de conservation des céréales, rôle de l’agriculture céréalière dans l’économie, dynamiques historiques de l’expansion et de l’adoption des innovations néolithiques.
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The study of the use-wear marks on the Neolithic reaping knives from the site of Egolzwil 3 (Switzerland, late fifth millennium cal BC) shows that these tools were used to reap cereals by cutting the stems near the ground. The stems were... more
The study of the use-wear marks on the Neolithic reaping knives from the site of Egolzwil 3 (Switzerland, late fifth millennium cal BC) shows that these tools were used to reap cereals by cutting the stems near the ground. The stems were gathered together using the pointed distal end, held in the free hand and cut with the flint blade, in what we term a two-stage reaping method. These types of sickles or reaping knives are found at Neolithic sites in the northern Mediterranean (centre and north of the Iberian Peninsula, Provence in France and continental Italy) from the mid-sixth millennium, in the context of the early Neolithic Cardial Culture, and lasted until the early fourth millennium. Within the tradition of two-stage reaping knives, the Egolzwil type would have been adapted to reaping at a low height in very dense cereal fields. These tools show that the Neolithic groups in the Swiss central plain belonged to the circle of northern Mediterranean farming technical traditions, in their northernmost expression, in contact with the groups in south Germany who reaped with curved sickles whose flint elements were inserted obliquely.
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This paper presents the results of the first excavation campaign of the Artusia rock shelter in Unzu e, Navarre, Spain. Chronocultural and archaeobiological analyses revealed five different occupation phases (Artusia IeV) within the... more
This paper presents the results of the first excavation campaign of the Artusia rock shelter in Unzu e, Navarre, Spain. Chronocultural and archaeobiological analyses revealed five different occupation phases (Artusia IeV) within the regional Mesolithic timeline, specifically in the Mesolithic of Notches and Denticulates (Artusia I and II) and the Geometric Mesolithic (Artusia III, IV, and V). In addition, the study of the sedimentological and palaeoenvironmental evolution in the entire record helped to clearly define several climatic events which developed around 6550 cal BCe8500 cal BP and 6250 cal BCe8200 cal BP. Here, we present a description of these events and their (pre)historical interpretation with the aim of recognizing how they influenced the Mesolithic hunteregatherer groups living in the Ebro Basin of the Iberian Peninsula.
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This paper presents the preliminary results of the excavation of the “Els Trocs” Cave, developed in the context of the research project “The pathways of the Neolithic”. The careful and detailed work of excavation and recording has... more
This paper presents the preliminary results of the excavation of the “Els Trocs” Cave, developed
in the context of the research project “The pathways of the Neolithic”. The careful and detailed work of
excavation and recording has revealed a complex stratigraphy in which, thanks to the radiocarbon dates on
short-lived samples (cereal seeds, human bones and domestic animal remains), it has been possible to
distinguish four different periods of occupation inside the cave. With this information and some preliminary
analyses of part of the materials (pottery, flint and faunal remains), we have documented the presence
of a human group in the mountain pastures of the axial Pyrennes, at a very early stage (beginning of the
last third of the VIth millennium cal. BC), with a transhumant pastoral economy. It was a fully neolithic
population with clear evidences of the use of wheat and barley, despite they did not cultivate around the
close environment of this cave, where complex burial rituals had been also documented.
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En este capítulo se presenta un estudio completo de la industria lítica tallada encontrada en el tholos de Montelirio. Primero se realiza una caracterización tecnomorfológica del conjunto, valorando su distribución en los principales... more
En este capítulo se presenta un estudio completo de la industria lítica tallada encontrada en el tholos de Montelirio. Primero se realiza una caracterización tecnomorfológica del conjunto, valorando su distribución en los principales espacios del monumento, y destacando las piezas más singulares (puntas de flecha, hoja de puñal y grandes láminas). A continuación se hace una caracterización litológica de las materias primas a partir de un examen macroscópico y mediante petrología de lámina delgada, determinándose la presencia
de sílex de varias procedencias (formaciones Malaver, Turón y Milanos), de milonitas y de riolitas, usadas en cada caso para manufacturar unos objetos específicos. Capítulo aparte se dedica a las piezas de cristal de
roca, estudiadas mediante Espectroscopía Raman Confocal. Finalmente se describen los resultados de un estudio de huellas de uso que demuestra que, excepto una lámina que presenta lustre de cereal, ninguna pieza lítica tallada del tholos fue usada antes de depositarse en la tumba. En conjunto, este estudio aporta gran cantidad de datos novedosos respecto a la industria lítica, uno de los temas peor conocidos del asentamiento de la Edad del Cobre de Valencina de la Concepción.
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One aspect that defines the Neolithic of the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula is its funeral register. The graves are so numerous that already in the early twentieth century Professor P. Bosch Gimpera considered that they had to belong... more
One aspect that defines the Neolithic of the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula is its funeral register. The graves are so numerous that already in the early twentieth century Professor P. Bosch Gimpera considered that they had to belong to the same culture, the culture of « Sepulcres de Fossa ». Many studies have been conducted on the funerary practices of this group, but atypical graves or human remains deposits are generally
unnoticed, whereas they exist. In this paper we present some of these structures and propose a first series of reflections on these non- normative deposits.
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Objectives: The study of subsistence strategies among Neolithic communities in north-east Iberia, late-fifth to early-fourth millennia cal BC, enables a more in-depth study of the activities and behavior of the inhabitants of this region,... more
Objectives: The study of subsistence strategies among Neolithic communities in north-east Iberia,
late-fifth to early-fourth millennia cal BC, enables a more in-depth study of the activities and
behavior of the inhabitants of this region, where paleodiets have been little studied. The objectives
of this study are, therefore, to determine the diet and subsistence patterns of those communities
and to consider whether any relation existed between their subsistence strategies and environmental,
geographic, and/or social factors.
Materials and Methods: Bone samples from 25 middle Neolithic human individuals at seven
archeological sites and comparative faunal samples were analyzed, and compared with contemporary
series in Mediterranean Europe. Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (d13C and d15N) of bone
collagen were studied to determine the dietary patterns.
Results: Dietary habits proved to be similar between communities, apart from some interpopulational
variations in subsistence strategies. Their diet was based on C3 terrestrial resources with a
major vegetal protein component.
Discussion: The reported variations in interpopulational subsistence strategies among the compared
Mediterranean societies do not seem to be directly related to the settlement region.
Together with archeological data, this indicates the influence of socioeconomic factors in the Neolithic
human diet. A general tendency toward a lesser use of aquatic resources is seen in this
period in Iberia and the rest of the Mediterranean, as also documented for contemporary communities
in the west and north of Europe. The data obtained will be important for further studies
of socioeconomic patterns in European Neolithic societies.
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Este artículo está dirigido a aquellas personas que están trabajando en el ámbito de la divulgación científica. Centrado en un barrio de Barcelona con enormes problemas sociales, El Raval, en 2013 un conjunto de investigadores/as del... more
Este artículo está dirigido a aquellas personas que están trabajando en el ámbito de la divulgación científica. Centrado en un barrio de Barcelona con enormes problemas sociales, El Raval, en 2013 un conjunto de investigadores/as del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IMF-CSIC), junto a diversas asociaciones del barrio, iniciamos un programa de actividades divulgativas con el fin de llevar la arqueología y la prehistoria a los vecinos y vecinas. Se trata, por tanto, de un artículo que narra nuestra experiencia personal, detallando algunas de las actividades que más atrajeron la atención del público. Quizás esta, nuestra experiencia, pueda servir de referente para otros colegas que están trabajando en líneas similares en contextos urbanos o rurales.
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Together with the publication of new tombs and radiocarbon dates from the Early Neolithic, an analysis is made about the complete catalogue of graves known of this chronology in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula and the Ebro Valley:... more
Together with the publication of new tombs and radiocarbon dates from the Early Neolithic, an analysis is made about the complete catalogue of graves known of this chronology in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula and the Ebro Valley: the structure of the tomb used, the nature of the burial deposition, the sex and age of the individuals, the grave offerings (presence or absence) as well as the position and orientation of the deceased inside the grave. The aim is to show a general overview of the burial evidences of the first farmers in this region.
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At the beginning of the 1980s, a series of archaeological interventions carried out by what was previously called the ‘Servei d’Investigacions Arqueológiques del Patrimoni Artístic Nacional d’Andorra’ in a Pyrenean valley in Andorra... more
At the beginning of the 1980s, a series of archaeological interventions carried out by what was previously
called the ‘Servei d’Investigacions Arqueológiques del Patrimoni Artístic Nacional d’Andorra’ in a Pyrenean valley
in Andorra allowed the investigation of the Feixa del Moro site. In a high-altitude area below a series of abandoned
terraces, several dwellings and burial structures were located, all of them with chronologies ranging between the Early
and the Middle Neolithic (from the mid 5th millennium to the early 4th millennium cal. BC).
The distinctiveness of this site does not only lie in its geographical location, nor in the kind of structures discovered,
but also in the very good state of preservation of the human bone material recovered from the burials, making Feixa del
Moro one of the reference sites for the Neolithic in the Pyrenees and, in general, the Western Mediterranean.
So far, sites with a similar conservation of both bones and burial structures are really uncommon. Moreover, the concentration
in so small an area, and in the same stratigraphic unit, of such a diversity of evidence, including burials, silos
and hearths, is yet more unusual. There are no similar sites in Andorra, or even in the entire Pyrenees. The only other
burial site of comparable chronology discovered in the area is the Segudet site, and only a few high-altitude Neolithic
dwelling sites are known. Even if cist burials are quite common in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula and in Southern
France, Feixa del Moro is the first that has been found at high altitude.
The archaeological work undertaken between 1983 and 1985 provided a picture of a farming community belonging to
the so-called ‘Sepulcros de fosa’ Culture, established in the very heart of the Pyrenees and, thus, highlighted the complexity
of Neolithic settlement patterns, even in mountainous zones. At the same time, several analyses of the archaeological
materials were already carried out, making Feixa del Moro a reference site for archaeological research even now.
Nevertheless, three decades later, new methodologies and the technical advances available are allowing archaeologists
to refine old interpretations, to reopen old debates and to carry out new analyses that can improve our
understanding of the past. In this respect, since 2011, within the research project ‘Aproximación a las primeras
comunidades neolíticas del NE peninsular a través de sus prácticas funerarias’ (HAR2011-23149), funded by the
Spanish Ministry for the Economy and Competitiveness, a group of interdisciplinary researchers have begun to
study several Neolithic burial contexts in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, among which Feixa del Moro.
Following this perspective, in this paper, we present the outcome of the new analyses carried out on the burial
goods and of the biochemistry and radiocarbon analyses carried out on the human bone material from the three
cist burials of Feixa del Moro, with the aim of better understanding the early farming communities who settled
in the Pyrenees.
Since the last archaeological work carried out in the 1990s, large quantities of data have been lost. This has produced
a certain degree of confusion and misunderstanding that has been repeated in other studies undertaken a posteriori on
the site by other scholars. Some of these interpretations need to be revised. That it is why, within the current research
project, we are not only bringing in new analyses, but also re-examining all the old written and graphic information
available, as well as the state of the conserved archaeological material.
The data presented in this paper resume all the available information on the Feixa del Moro site, correcting old mistakes
and bias, updating the 1980s archaeological registers and presenting new analyses as well. Our aim is to ensure that
Feixa del Moro remains a reference site for the Pyrenean and Western Mediterranean Neolithic. At the same time, we
wish to encourage other researchers to undertake new analyses and to embrace new perspectives in order to improve
our understanding of Neolithic societies.
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A la vez que dar a conocer tumbas y cronologías inéditas de los inicios del Neolítico en el interior peninsular, se pretende analizar con el detalle que nos permite en cada contexto la bibliografía existente, todos los casos de tumbas de... more
A la vez que dar a conocer tumbas y cronologías inéditas de los inicios del Neolítico en el interior peninsular, se pretende analizar con el detalle que nos permite en cada contexto la bibliografía existente, todos los casos de tumbas de esta fase en el interior peninsular y en el Valle del Ebro. Serán analizados con detalle el tipo de estructura utilizada y la naturaleza del depósito funerario, la edad y el sexo de los enterrados, el tipo de ajuar, su presencia o ausencia en cada caso, así como la posición y la orientación de los difuntos en la tumba. Todo ello con la intención de ofrecer una visión integral de las evidencias funerarias en los inicios de la economía con rendimientos diferidos.
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The excavations carried out from 1983 to 1985 on an Andorran hillside by the formerAndorra National Artistic Heritage Archaeological Research Service revealed one of the mostimportant Neolithic sites in the Pyrenees. Directed by Xavier... more
The excavations carried out from 1983 to 1985 on an Andorran hillside by the formerAndorra National Artistic Heritage Archaeological Research Service revealed one of the mostimportant Neolithic sites in the Pyrenees. Directed by Xavier Llovera and Pere Canturri, theexcavations uncovered a settlement with two interesting features: 1) it was located in ahigh mountain area, and 2) the same place possessed numerous domestic and funerarystructures. Both factors have made La Feixa del Moro a key site in the prehistory of both Paleodietthe Pyrenees and the western Mediterranean in general. Three decades later, a pluridisci-plinary team has begun a careful review of the documentation, studied the human remainsand artefacts in the graves, carried out several forms of biochemical analysis and obtainednew radiocarbon determinations for the individuals exhumed in two of the three buri-als in stone boxes (or cists). The objective is a better understanding of the first farmingcommunities that settled in the Pyrenees
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This paper presents the results of the 2009 and 2010 excavation campaigns of the Artusia rock shelter (Unzué, Navarre, Spain). Five different Mesolithic occupation phases (Artusia I-V) have been identified, specifically in the Mesolithic... more
This paper presents the results of the 2009 and 2010 excavation campaigns of the Artusia rock shelter (Unzué, Navarre, Spain). Five different Mesolithic occupation phases (Artusia I-V) have been identified, specifically in the Mesolithic
of Notches and Denticulates (Artusia I and II) and the Geometric
Mesolithic (Artusia III, IV and V). In addition, the sedimentological and palaeoenvironmental record allowed to clearly define several climatic events which developed around 6550 cal BC - 8500 cal BP and 6250 cal BC - 8200 cal BP. Here we present a description of these events and their pre)historical
interpretation with the aim of recognizing how they influenced the Mesolithic hunter-gatherer groups living in the Ebro Basin of the Iberian Peninsula.
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Resumen: En este trabajo abordamos el análisis de la función de los instrumentos líticos tallados de diversos contextos neolíticos del noreste peninsular. El marco cronológico se sitúa entre mediados del VI milenio y mediados del IV cal.... more
Resumen: En este trabajo abordamos el análisis de la función de los instrumentos líticos tallados de diversos contextos neolíticos del noreste peninsular. El marco cronológico se sitúa entre mediados del VI milenio y mediados del IV cal. BC, lo que ha venido a llamarse el neolítico antiguo y el neolítico medio. De esta manera abordamos desde las primeras evidencias dejadas por las comunidades neolíticas que llegaron al noreste de la Península Ibérica, alrededor del 5600-5500 cal. BC, hasta dos milenios más tarde, alrededor del 3600-3500 cal. BC, cuando han ocupado todo el territorio desde las zonas más cercanas al mar hasta las áreas montañosas del Pirineo. En este sentido, el noreste de la Península ha sido una de las zonas donde se han realizado un mayor número de análisis traceológicos, especialmente de contextos neolíticos. Ello ha sido consecuencia, sobre todo, del interés por los directores de excavación y de ciertos especialistas en huellas de uso. Esa dualidad es la que explica que sea una de las zonas de Europa donde se hayan realizado numerosos estudios sobre la función de los instrumentos. El resultado es que hoy tenemos una imagen fidedigna de cómo eran y a qué actividades destinaron los instrumentos líticos aquellas primeras sociedades agricultoras y pastoras. La metodología empleada es la que habitualmente se usa en este tipo de análisis; es decir, se han utilizado de manera conjunta una lupa binocular y un microscopio metalográfico por el análisis de los útiles arqueológicos. Luego, los rastros observados han sido comparados con los útiles experimentales conservados en la 'Traceoteca', la colección experimental de la Institución Milà y Fontanals del CSIC en Barcelona. En este trabajo daremos información sobre los distintos yacimientos estudiados y sobre el utillaje que se ha documentado en distintos contextos arqueológicos, lo que ha permitido su comparación: asentamientos al aire libre, cuevas y abrigos, fosas con desechos, enterramientos y depósitos mineros. Esta diversidad de contextos es enormemente importante porque nos ha proporcionado información relevante sobre cada uno de ellos y nos han permitido observar si hay modelos comunes en relación a la morfología de los instrumentos y a las actividades a las que se han destinado. Los resultados obtenidos nos han facilitado además conocer ciertos aspectos relacionados con las estrategias económicas establecidas en los distintos asentamientos, sean al aire libre, cueva o abrigo. Hemos observado qué peso tienen las distintas actividades y qué relación tienen con el tipo de asentamiento, su localización geográfica y las áreas de captación de recursos que aquellas sociedades tenían a su alrededor. Pero también el hecho de trabajar con los útiles documentados en sepulturas,
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Funerary practices in the Neolithic show great variability, both within and between different regions of Europe, including inhumations, cremations, collective burials and disarticulation. Yet, there are also many similarities of practice... more
Funerary practices in the Neolithic show great variability, both within and between different regions of Europe, including inhumations, cremations, collective burials and disarticulation. Yet, there are also many similarities of practice shared across the continent. While the collective burials of the Atlantic façade and Northern Europe have been considered alongside each other as a cohesive phenomenon, practices of inhumation in single (or multiple) graves in cemeteries are rarely compared between broader regions at this time. This may be because of their familiarity, as inhumation in cemeteries is widely practiced in modern Europe. We would like to problematize the assumption that inhumation in cemeteries can be taken for granted. In addition, recent developments in archaeological science (e.g. a DNA, isotopes, dental calculus, radiocarbon dating, material culture studies), have meant that our ability to shed light on Neolithic social identity and organisation through inhumations and cemeteries has dramatically increased. This is particularly the case when large cemeteries can be compared and the results of scientific data integrated with the burial practices, such as orientation, body position and accompanying grave goods. In this session, we take a comparative approach to the inhumation burials found in Neolithic Europe, with a particular focus on those from central and southern regions. We invite submissions focused on Neolithic inhumation burial practices across Europe. Those with a focus on interdisciplinary research or bringing together multiple lines of different evidence are particularly welcome.
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Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to invite you to participate to our recently accepted session called: "Approaches to Early Farming Systems: diffusion and development of agricultural practices into the Mediterranean-SESSION #285" within... more
Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to invite you to participate to our recently accepted session called: "Approaches to Early Farming Systems: diffusion and development of agricultural practices into the Mediterranean-SESSION #285" within the "23th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists" which will be held in Maastricht (The Netherlands), 30 August-3 September 2017. We invite you to submit your participation abstract on http://www.eaa2017maastricht.nl from 31st of January 2017. All contributions approaching ancient farming system from different perspectives and methodological points of view will be welcomed. Our aim is to organize an interdisciplinary session of a half-day duration (about 4 hours) with a maximum of 14/15 15-minute presentations. A space of discussion and exchange, with contributions from different disciplines. Our best efforts will be made to ensure a high quality publication of all the session's contributions.

SESSION ABSTRACT The emergence of agricultural economies is a defining factor in Neolithic societies not only because a relevant part of subsistence depended on domesticated plants, but also because crop-husbandry practices strongly affected the lifestyle of farming groups in many different aspects.. Therefore, it is not a surprise that the study of farming systems can be addressed from a variety of angles using different approaches, eg. by directly analysing seeds and fruits or, indirectly, by assessing its impact on the environment and the subsequent landscape modifications. It is also possible to explore the influence of crop-husbandry practices in the technological system; new knowledge and novel tools were developed while existing technologies were adapted to new tasks. In this session, we aim at bringing together scientists working on different issues related to Neolithic farming systems of the Mediterranean: crop and weed assemblages, agricultural tools and techniques, field manuring, animal feeding practices, storage techniques, by-product uses, dietary patterns, social aspects of agricultural production and its environmental impact, etc. Our objective is to approach agriculture as a non-divisible system, in which domesticated plants and animals, environment, human techniques and cultural practices continuously and reciprocally interact. To that end, we invite contributions focusing on the origins, diffusion and development of agricultural systems from an array of viewpoints, trying to integrate discipline-specific knowledge into an interdisciplinary framework. Comparative studies about interregional dynamics between different areas of the Mediterranean are welcome as well.
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The field of Bioarchaeology offers different analytical possibilities to investigate the populations of the past. Although there have been important advances in the field in recent years, such as the application of stable isotopes and... more
The field of Bioarchaeology offers different analytical possibilities to investigate the populations of the past. Although there have been important advances in the field in recent years, such as the application of stable isotopes and ancient DNA, new initiatives that increase our knowledge of past societies emerge every day. These provide new avenues of study and interpretation of the human past, focusing on aspects like subsistence strategies, environmental reconstruction, kinship, mobility or biogeographic origin.

The aim of this session is to compile different case studies on human Neolithic populations that make use of bioarchaeological analytical approaches. Presentations should be able to show how the results integrate and complement the hypotheses set up from archaeology.

We invite researchers using bioarchaeological techniques such as physical anthropology, stable isotopes or ancient DNA to investigate the Neolithic funerary world in Iberia to present their works in this monographic session.
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Este segundo volumen, un libro de gran formato (279 x 216 mm) con 340 páginas y 380 ilustraciones, bajo la coordinación de Juan Francisco Gibaja (CSIC), Millán Mozota (CSIC), María Eulàlia Subirà (UAB), Araceli Martín (SAPGC), y Jordi... more
Este segundo volumen, un libro de gran formato (279 x 216 mm) con 340 páginas y 380 ilustraciones, bajo la coordinación de Juan Francisco Gibaja (CSIC), Millán Mozota (CSIC), María Eulàlia Subirà (UAB), Araceli Martín (SAPGC), y Jordi Roig (UPV/EHU), aborda las prácticas funerarias de los grupos de agricultores y pastores del Neolítico entre inicios del V y mediados del IV milenio a. de C. para los enterramientos de la Cova del Toll, el Pla del Riu de les Marcetes, la Plaça Major de Castellar del Vallès, Horts de Can Torras, el Camí de Can Grau, la Bòbila d’en Joca, la Cova dels Lladres, Ca n’Arnella, Can Roqueta/Can Revella, Can Marcet, Can Fatjó dels Aurons, la Bòbila del Ravalet, el Carrer del Pi y la sepultura de Plaça Gardunya. Os dejo el enlace de Amazon.com. Los museos, bibliotecas y centros de investigación que no puedan adquirir el libro directamente a través de Amazon, pueden solicitarlo a través de la página de contacto de nuestra página web o mediante correo electrónico a editarx@editarx.es

Para solicitar la obra os dejamos el siguiente enlace: https://www.amazon.com/Mirando-muerte-vol-funerarias-peninsular/dp/8494690256/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1528457480&sr=8-1&keywords=mirando+a+la+muerte+los+enterramientos
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Primer volumen de una obra que nace como resultado de cuatro años de investigación desarrollados bajo el proyecto «Aproximación a las primeras comunidades neolíticas del NE peninsular a través de sus prácticas funerarias» (HAR2011-23149),... more
Primer volumen de una obra que nace como resultado de cuatro años de investigación desarrollados bajo el proyecto «Aproximación a las primeras comunidades neolíticas del NE peninsular a través de sus prácticas funerarias» (HAR2011-23149), financiado por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. Un amplio equipo, formado por 95 investigadores procedentes de diversas universidades, empresas privadas de arqueología y centros de investigación, abordan de manera conjunta las prácticas funerarias de los grupos de agricultores y pastores del Neolítico que habitaron el noreste de la península ibérica entre inicios del v y mediados del iv milenio a. de C. analizando el registro de 40 yacimientos y aportando abundante información inédita acompañado de una amplio número de ilustraciones (541 solo en el primer volumen). Así, el presente volumen, en el que participan 33 autores, arranca con los cuatro yacimientos estudiados para la provincia de Girona (Puig d’enRoca, Sant Julià de Ramis, Can Gelats y Cova de l’Avellaner) y recoge el gran núcleo formado por la Bòbila de Madurell-Can Gambús-Mas Duran en la provincia de Barcelona.
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In 1989, the first national symposium on the Chasséen, the focal and emblematic culture of the French Middle Neolithic, was held in Nemours, and the proceedings of the symposium were published in 1991. After about forty presentations, the... more
In 1989, the first national symposium on the Chasséen, the focal and emblematic culture of the French Middle Neolithic, was held in Nemours, and the proceedings of the symposium were published in 1991. After about forty presentations, the authors of the symposium concluded that new approaches were needed to address this culture in order to go beyond micro-regional studies and segmented analyses by types of materials. Unfortunately, twenty-five years later, the situation does not seem to have evolved much: overviews are still rare or mostly limited to a specific aspect of material production, and our overall understanding of the Chasséen on a wider scale has made little headway. This somewhat pessimistic and undoubtedly debatable observation incited us to organize a second international symposium on this topic. It seemed important to us to review the situation and to attempt to pinpoint new avenues of research in order to renew approaches to the Chasséen. This second symposium was held at the INHA (Institut national d’histoire de l’art – National Institute of Art History), in the centre of Paris, from 18-20 November 2014, and brought together 150 participants from France and neighbouring countries. All those attending the symposium had ample opportunity to engage in constructive dialogue. These proceedings are a compilation of the texts from most of the presentations, organized around six main themes: the variability and coherence of regional expressions, the factors of unity during the Chasséen in time and space, exploitation strategies of food and resources in the environment, funerary rituals and practices, and lastly the chronology of the Chasséen in a European framework.
All these contributions promote reflections on the significance of the term Chasséen today, twenty-five years after Nemours.


En 1989, se tenait à Nemours le premier colloque national consacré au Chasséen, culture phare et emblématique du Néolithique moyen français, dont le volume des actes fut publié en 1991. À l’issue de la quarantaine de communications, les auteurs de ce colloque concluaient au renouveau nécessaire des approches pour aborder cette culture afin de pouvoir dépasser études microrégionales et analyses segmentées par types de matériaux. Vingt-cinq ans plus tard, la situation ne semble malheureusement guère avoir évolué : les synthèses restent rares ou limitées à un aspect particulier des productions matérielles pour l’essentiel, et la compréhension générale du phénomène chasséen à large échelle n’a de fait guère progressé. C’est ce constat, certes un peu pessimiste et sans doute discutable, qui nous a amenés à organiser un second colloque international consacré à cette question. Il nous semblait en effet important de refaire un point et de tenter, une fois encore, de proposer un bilan des acquis et de tenter de dégager quelques pistes permettant de renouveler les approches sur le Chasséen. Tenu à l’INHA (Institut national d’histoire de l’art), dans le centre de Paris, du 18 au 20 novembre 2014, il a rassemblé plus de 150 participants provenant de toute la France et des pays limitrophes. Communicants et auditeurs ont ainsi pu dialoguer à de nombreuses reprises lors d’échanges constructifs. Les présents actes rassemblent les textes issus de l’essentiel des communications, autour de six thématiques principales : la variabilité et la cohérence des expressions régionales, les facteurs d’unité du Chasséen à travers le temps et l’espace, l’alimentation et les stratégies d’exploitation des ressources du milieu, l’habitat dans son territoire, les pratiques et rituelles funéraires et enfin, la chronologie de ce Chasséen dans son contexte européen.
Toutes ces contributions permettent alors de réfléchir à ce que signifie ce terme de « chasséen » aujourd’hui, vingt-cinq ans après Nemours.
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Funerary practices have always attracted archaeologists and anthropologists. To approach primary archaeological contexts in which anthropic modifications have been scarce or inexistent for hundreds or thousands of years is a dream coming... more
Funerary practices have always attracted archaeologists and anthropologists. To approach primary archaeological contexts in which anthropic modifications have been scarce or inexistent for hundreds or thousands of years is a dream coming true. In that sense, such contexts are a "theoretically" unchanged archaeological reality.
Archaeologists have in front of their eyes not the residues—that is, the refuse left behind by daily activities of a given community (food processing, handicraft works, building of houses)—but the individuals, tools and ornaments deposited next to him or her as result of a set of symbolic and ideological activities related to social reproduction.
Container and content of graves have been the corner stone upon which numerous questions related to the group's social and economic organization were based on. Synchronic and diachronic inferences after estimates on expended labour and time at the tomb's construction, as well as associated grave goods analysis, have been the means with which some inferences of social inequality, access to prestige items, individual roles, etc., were made.
However, we are in front of bone remains of some to the actors of those communities and of our own History. Anthropological studies have witnessed a major leap in this regard. Classic analysis on sex and age, pathologies, usually dental, etc., are now completed by a multiplicity of work aiming the recognition of how people died, how they fed themselves, what parental relations they established, how they were buried, what degree of mobility they possessed…
Funerary practices tell us about people's attitudes facing death. In M. Mauss's words, the death of an individual is a total social fact. To study these practices is to approach society, its organization and, probably, its hierarchy, but also allows to know—this is may be the most touching aspect of Prehistory studies—an expression of feelings.
With this book we intend to offer a state of the question on the study of funerary practices from the Mesolithic to the Chalcolithic in the Western Mediterranean, more specifically, in this first volume, on modern day Spain, Andorra, and Portugal. A second volume will focus those periods in Southern France and the Italian Peninsula.
This state of the question does not aim a more or less detailed description of the funerary contexts and their contents, such funerary architecture, formal disposal of the dead, or grave goods typology. In spite the relevance of such research topics, we asked the authors instead to present the threshold of current research of what in being made to answer to various questions, such as: when did burials take place, how did individuals die, what relation may have existed with neighbouring or distant communities, what relation were established with "habitation" sites, what social organization existed, what was the role of individuals in their societies, what kind of hierarchies existed, what inferences can be made on ideologies, etc.
Obviously, many such questions are still to be solved for many reasons: a) many sites were excavated a long time ago, namely during the end of the 19th century or early 20th century, having their records been lost; b) many analysis being carried out nowadays have been only recently presented to archaeologist (it is of mention that radiocarbon dating was introduced in archaeological research only the 1960s or that ancient DNA research was unthinkable until very recently); c) many of these are not accessible to archaeologists due to lack of funding; and d) research has traditionally focused on formal analysis of funerary architectures and typological classification of grave goods.
In Iberia, for example, most Mesolithic and Neolithic funerary structures are located specially in two areas: the Muge Mesolithic shell middens and the burial caves from central Portugal, and the graves and necropolises from northeast Spain. In all these cases most of the material was recovered in late 19th / early 20th centuries; we have thus only short accounts of stratigraphies, grave goods and human remains, sometimes published in local journals or as short references in broader synthesis. Photos are also scarce and often materials were lost or missed their original field reference.
In recent years, very notable methodological  advances have been taking place in several disciplines, specially in those related to bioanthropology, funerary taphonomy, chemistry of human bones, provenance studies of raw materials used in architecture and grave goods, etc. But also new sites and burial were discovered in previously known sites, which are now being re-excavated according to modern, updated methodologies of recovery and preservation. The most paradigmatic case is found in Portugal, where systematic excavations are taking place in several of the Sado and Muge shell middens. Preliminary results are already available (Bicho et al. 2010; Diniz, 2010).
However, the path is still long. In this sense, this book—which results of a join effort of Spanish and Portuguese research projects, respectively: "Approach to the earliest farming communities of Northeast Iberia through their funerary practices" (directed by J.F. Gibaja) and "Bom Santo cave and the Neolithic societies of Portuguese Estremadura, 6th-4th millennia BC" (directed by A.F. Carvalho)—intends to present to the scientific community the state of the art on the research about Mesolithic, Neolithic and Chalcolithic funerary practices in several regions of Iberia, as well as employed methodologies and theoretical frameworks, and future perspectives.
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Embora levado a cabo nas universidades portuguesas desde há muito — seja integrado em disciplinas mais generalistas, seja como disciplina autónoma —, os estudos de pedra lascada têm recorrido unicamente a manuais redigidos em língua... more
Embora levado a cabo nas universidades portuguesas desde há muito — seja integrado em disciplinas mais generalistas, seja como disciplina autónoma —, os estudos de pedra lascada têm recorrido unicamente a manuais redigidos em língua estrangeira. Com efeito, são poucos os trabalhos publicados em Portugal que contêm introduções a estes estudos e que se apresentem, simultaneamente, com um enquadramento teórico-metodológico e com o objetivo declarado de fornecer ensinamentos práticos. Os trabalhos de F. Almeida, A.C. Araújo e T. Aubry (2003), de N.F. Bicho (2006) e de A.F. Carvalho (2008), por exemplo, constituem exceções, mas ainda assim revestem-se de âmbitos, contextos e objetivos no entanto distintos, e nenhum deles forma por si mesmo, como é óbvio, um manual prático para o efeito.
É certo que alguns outros trabalhos de fundo, como por exemplo monografias de sítios arqueológicos ou dissertações académicas, contêm capítulos onde se apresenta o enquadramento teórico, os princípios metodológicos e os critérios analíticos aí utilizados no estudo de coleções de pedra lascada. Porém, estes trabalhos estão deliberadamente orientados para uma problemática, uma região ou uma fase concreta da Pré-História, o que dificulta a sua extrapolação imediata para outras realidades.
Por via de todos estes fatos, muitos de nós tivemos o nosso contacto inicial com a análise de pedra lascada a partir de bibliografia redigida noutras línguas, com as dificuldades daí inerentes no que respeita a aspetos de terminologia (o que acarretou, como se denota na nossa bibliografia arqueológica, alguma falta de uniformidade na terminologia utilizada em língua portuguesa, e mesmo, por vezes, de erros de facto). Os livros sucessivamente publicados na série francesa “Pré-Histoire de la Pierre Taillée” (Tixier et al., 1980; AA.VV., 1984; Inizan et al., 1995) terão porventura constituído os substitutos óbvios daquela carência. E, se assim foi, ainda bem. Trata-se, com efeito, de obras muito bem conseguidas, de fácil leitura e consulta, excelentemente ilustradas de forma didática, e que este manual não pretende (nem podia) substituir. Aliás, um daqueles livros contém mesmo uma utilíssima proposta de tradução para português do principal léxico terminológico empregue nestes estudos, elaborada por L. Raposo (ver Inizan et al., 1995, p. 197-199).
O presente manual nasce das referidas lacunas e da sua constatação por parte dos docentes e investigadores das universidades integrantes do Instituto de Arqueologia e Paleociências das Universidades Nova de Lisboa e do Algarve. Mas nasce também da verificação do interesse suscitado pelos dois workshops sobre o tema organizados pela Universidade do Algarve: o primeiro em Maio de 2004 (“Estudos Integrados de Indústrias Líticas”), organizado em colaboração com a Associação Profissional de Arqueólogos, o segundo em Dezembro de 2010, organizado pelo Núcleo de Arqueologia e Paleoecologia daquela universidade (“Curso Livre de Análise de Indústrias Líticas”).
Tudo somado, justificou-se plenamente a redação e publicação do presente manual, que se constitui, assim, como o primeiro da série “Manuais de Arqueologia do IAP”.
Este, como se pode verificar, encontra-se organizado em duas partes. A primeira assume um pendor explicitamente teórico-metodológico, contando com a colaboração de X. Terradas, A. Palomo, F. Almeida e J.F. Gibaja para a apresentação e discussão de quatro disciplinas específicas da análise lítica: respetivamente, o aprovisionamento de matérias-primas, o talhe experimental, o método das remontagens, e a análise funcional ou traceológica. A segunda parte contém sínteses que abordam as sucessivas realidades pré-históricas do atual território português, desde o Paleolítico Inferior à Idade do Bronze, sendo constituída por três capítulos que tratam, respetivamente, das indústrias macrolíticas (T. Pereira e N.F. Bicho), do Paleolítico Superior e Mesolítico (J. Marreiros e J. Cascalheira) e da Pré-História recente (A.F. Carvalho).
A bibliografia de cada um daqueles sete capítulos deve ser entendida, não apenas como aquela que serviu de apoio aos autores dos mesmos, mas também — precisamente por essa razão — como sugestões de leitura para o desenvolvimento dos temas tratados.
Como editores, temos consciência de que o caráter sumário e necessariamente abreviado do manual obrigou ao não tratamento aprofundado de muitas questões, que terão sido apenas afloradas. É uma limitação que não podemos ignorar. Temos a certeza que no futuro outras instituições ou outros autores procurarão e conseguirão fazer melhor. Mas temos também a certeza que é esta obra a que abre esse desejado caminho.
A terminar, não nos esquecemos — e queremos homenagear com este trabalho — os últimos “talhadores” portugueses, cujo trabalho está ainda totalmente por estudar nas suas múltiplas vertentes (conceptuais, técnicas, estilísticas, socioeconómicas, etc.). Referimo-nos aos calceteiros, representantes de uma arte tipicamente portuguesa espalhada por vários continentes, e aos últimos talhadores de “pedras de fúsil”, de Rio Maior principalmente, cujo labor cessou só no século XX. Que o seu trabalho mereça também estudos como os que se citarão nas páginas que se seguem.
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The discovery of the Muge shellmiddens date back to the mid nineteenth century. Located in the Tagus valley, in central Portugal, this complex has provided high quality Mesolithic sets of faunal remains, anthropological remains and... more
The discovery of the Muge shellmiddens date back to the mid nineteenth century. Located in the Tagus valley, in central Portugal, this complex has provided high quality Mesolithic sets of faunal remains, anthropological remains and lithics. This study will focus on the presentation of the technological analysis of chert artifacts, from Layer 2 of Cabeço da Amoreira one of the most important site from the Muge Mesolithic complex. Chert has been extensively used in the production of tools, and this fact shows the high importance of this raw material in those communities. This study seeks to advance the knowledge on aspects such as economic, functional and stylistic elements, with the main objective of understanding the complexity of the Muge Mesolithic communities.
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El análisis de la industria tallada de Minferri, muestra una ausencia de núcleos y restos de talla diagnósticos de la producción laminar, hecho que fundamenta la hipótesis de que los conjuntos laminares documentados se produjeron fuera... more
El análisis de la industria tallada de Minferri, muestra una ausencia de núcleos y restos de talla diagnósticos de la producción laminar, hecho que fundamenta la hipótesis de que los conjuntos laminares documentados se produjeron fuera del asentamiento, posiblemente en su área de captación. Ello nos permite deducir que fueron transportados al asentamiento, donde a tenor de los datos que el análisis traceológico ha proporcionado, hemos podido comprobar la utilización intensa de las láminas en diferentes actividades, destacando el proceso agrícola.
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During the 7th and 6th millenniums BC, major changes occurred over a widespread area in the lithic industries of the late Mesolithic. We focused our research on notched blades and bladelets knapped by pressure or indirect percussion. We... more
During the 7th and 6th millenniums BC, major changes occurred over a widespread area in the lithic industries of the late Mesolithic. We focused our research on notched blades and bladelets knapped by pressure or indirect percussion. We managed to define this technical process by Late Mesolithic Notched Blades from Western Europe and North Africa showing that these notches result from voluntary retouch, with variability in retouch modes and in uses (different operating processes and worked materials). It is a simple technical concept, connected to the recurring mode of operation, but with varied functional purposes that comes out as a result of this survey carried out in France, Belgium, Spain, Morocco and Tunisia.
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Cueva de Chaves represents a paradigm of a fully Neolithic ex-novo occupation. However, despite its importance within the chrono-cultural framework of the Iberian Prehistory, there is a lack of empirical evidences about the site's... more
Cueva de Chaves represents a paradigm of a fully Neolithic ex-novo occupation. However, despite its importance within the chrono-cultural framework of the Iberian Prehistory, there is a lack of empirical evidences about the site's economic organization. While the herding of domesticated animals has been well-documented, agricultural and crafting activities have not been fully characterized. In this paper, we advance a socioeconomic interpretation of the flaked stone assemblage to identify the production processes in which lithic tools were involved. The results of the traceological analysis indicate that both animal and vegetal resources were exploited; food and craft production activities, which could not otherwise have emerged from the archaeological record, have been recognized. A mixed farming economy was practised at Cueva de Chaves, the ‘functional spectrum’ of which can be compared to the one of other open-air stable settlements of the western Mediterranean.
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The reconstruction of the economy of an archaeological site is a matter of major importance within prehistoric research. In this paper, this issue is tackled from the perspective of the Traceological, or Use-Wear, analysis, showing how... more
The reconstruction of the economy of an archaeological site is a matter of major importance within prehistoric research. In this paper, this issue is tackled from the perspective of the Traceological, or Use-Wear, analysis, showing how the lithic record can be used to approach a palaeoeconomic approximation. The principles, perspectives and limits of such method are detailed discussed into the text. As a case-study, a sample of Early Neolithic sites of the N–NE of the Iberian Peninsula has been considered, all of them ranging between the mid-Sixth and mid-Fifth millennium cal BC. As result of the analysis, sites with different status have been identified; more stable and larger settlements have been differentiated from temporary and more specialized occupations on the basis of the economic process inferred through the microscopic observation. Several subsistence and craft processes, such as wood and plant crafting tasks or hide working activities, that otherwise would be difficult to detect in the archaeological record have been highlighted. Obtained results provide fresh data on the Neolithic economic organization, integrating zooarchaeological, archaeobotanical and palaeoenvironmental studies.
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Cueva de Chaves represents a paradigmof a fully Neolithic ex-novo occupation. However, despite its importance within the chrono-cultural framework of the Iberian Prehistory, there is a lack of empirical evidences about the site's economic... more
Cueva de Chaves represents a paradigmof a fully Neolithic ex-novo occupation. However, despite its importance within the chrono-cultural framework of the Iberian Prehistory, there is a lack of empirical evidences about the site's economic organization.While the herding of domesticated animals has been well-documented, agricultural and crafting activities have not been fully characterized. In this paper, we advance a socioeconomic interpretation of the flaked stone assemblage to identify the production processes in which lithic tools were involved. The results of the traceological analysis indicate that both animal and vegetal resources were exploited; food and craft production activities, which could not otherwise have emerged from the archaeological record, have been recognized. A mixed farming economy was practised at Cueva de Chaves, the ‘functional spectrum’ of which can be compared to the one of other open-air stable settlements of the western Mediterranean.
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La imagen de las mujeres en (los estudios de) la Prehistoria. Women as shown in the (studies about) Prehistory. Material educativo. Imágenes de múltiples autores incluidas como Uso Legítimo. La PI y/o copyright son propiedad de cada... more
La imagen de las mujeres en (los estudios de) la Prehistoria. Women as shown in the (studies about) Prehistory.
Material educativo. Imágenes de múltiples autores incluidas como Uso Legítimo. La PI y/o copyright son propiedad de cada autor/a individual y/o quienes ostentan el copyright. Esta presentación educativa no supone ninguna declaración sobre esa cuestión. Teaching material. Multiple author's images included under Fair Use. IP and/or copyright is property of each individual author and/or copyright holder. This educational presentation makes no statement on this aspect. Check https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Sobre_el_uso_legítimo about Fair Use.
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Cova Bonica has yielded one of the few assemblages of Cardial Neolithic records of directly dated human remains (c. 5470 and 5220 years cal. BC – unmodelled) in the Iberian Peninsula and has provided the first complete genome of an... more
Cova Bonica has yielded one of the few assemblages of Cardial Neolithic records of directly dated human remains (c. 5470 and 5220 years cal. BC – unmodelled) in the Iberian Peninsula and has provided the first complete genome of an Iberian farmer. A minimum of seven individuals and six age clusters have been ascribed on the basis of the disarticulated human bones. A large number of archaeological artifacts have likewise been identified in the same layer, preserved in a small number of remnants in different areas of the cave. This study presents the results of a multi-proxy archaeological analysis of the spatial distribution, human remains, small and large mammals, palaeobotanical remains, lithics, ceramics and radiocarbon dating, with the aim of reconstructing the cave's history and the context of the layer containing the human remains. The results suggest the cave was used for at least two distinct purposes: one related to its use for funerary practices, as documented by a small group of artifacts (ornamental objects, ceramics, tools), charcoal and small mammals; the other related to its use as a sheep pen as indicated by reworked fumier, the results of a zooarchaeological study and an ovicaprine palaeodemographic profile. The paper concludes that the funerary and ritualistic practices of the Cardial Neolithic in SW Europe are difficult to reconstruct because human remains are often scattered in archaeological layers where other human activities may also have been conducted. For this reason, artifacts associated with human remains do not constitute a solid foundation on which to reconstruct funerary practices. Indeed, only a multi-proxy analysis of the archaeological material is capable of evaluating different geological and/or archaeological processes and their associated activities.
En este trabajo abordamos el estudio del utillaje óseo desde un punto de vista funcional, a partir de la obtención y uso de una serie de utensilios experimentales (punzones y espátulas). Dichos materiales forman una creciente colección de... more
En este trabajo abordamos el estudio del utillaje óseo desde un punto de vista funcional, a partir de la obtención y uso de una serie de utensilios experimentales (punzones y espátulas). Dichos materiales forman una creciente colección de referencia funcional y se utilizan en el análisis de utillaje procedente de varios yacimientos neolíticos del Noreste de la Península Ibérica. Nuestro objetivo es contrastar las hipótesis que hemos formulado sobre los materiales arqueológicos, mediante la comprobación de los datos de forma empírica, gracias a la experimentación. Este tipo de estudios están dirigidos a entender mejor el papel funcional y técnico del utillaje óseo.

In this paper we study the bone tools from a functional point of view, through the collection and use of a series of experimental tools (awls and spatulas). These materials form a growing functional reference library, and are used in the analysis of tools from several Neolithic sites in the N-E of the Iberian Peninsula. Our aim is to test the hypotheses we have made on archaeological materials, by checking the data empirically through experimentation. Such studies are aimed to better understand the functional and technical paper bone tools.
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La parte descriptiva de este trabajo se basa en un resumen de los dos trabajos que Imma Guitart Perarnau (1987, 1988)1 efectuó en relación a la necrópolis del Pla del Riu de les Marcetes: - Un artículo presentado en Tribuna d’Arqueologia... more
La parte descriptiva de este trabajo se basa en un resumen de los dos trabajos que Imma Guitart Perarnau (1987, 1988)1 efectuó en relación a la necrópolis del Pla del Riu de les Marcetes:
- Un artículo presentado en Tribuna d’Arqueologia y publicado en 1987, con el título: «La necrópolis neolítica del Pla del Riu de Les Marcetes (Manresa, Bages)».
- Memòria d’excavacións de la necrópolis neolítica del Pla del Riu (Les Marcetes, Bages). Presentada en 1988 en el Departament de Cultura i Mitjans de Comunicació de la Direcció General del Patrimoni Cultura [En línea] <http://calaix.gencat.cat/bitstream/handle/10687/8440/qmem237_web.pdf?sequence=2> [Consulta: 11 de marzo de 2018].
Por ello, los lectores deben acudir a tales obras para consultar con mayor profundidad los detalles referidos a este yacimiento. En nuestro caso, haremos una descripción general de los enterramientos y de los materiales documentados como ajuar. El estudio antropológico realizado por el Dr. Lluis Guerrero (1988) se encuentra adjunto en la memoria anteriormente citada. En el marco del proyecto que estamos dirigiendo, El Pla del Riu de les Marcetes era uno de los yacimientos de obligado estudio por varios motivos: era una excavación relativamente reciente, había una buena documentación, gracias especialmente al hecho de existir una memoria de excavación, se habían realizado los análisis antropológicos y el material estaba bien conservado. Sin embargo, siendo para nosotros y otros investigadores un referente continuo en nuestras publicaciones (Gibaja 2003, 2004; Gibaja et al., 2010), era una de esas necrópolis prácticamente olvidadas. Tanto es así, que cuando requerimos al Museu de Manresa, y en concreto a su director Francesc Vila, el poder estudiar los materiales de esta necrópolis, su sorpresa fue enorme, puesto que desde su depósito en el Museu nadie había solicitado su consulta.
En este capítulo dedicado al Pla del Riu de les Marcetes queremos de alguna manera reivindicar su importancia en el marco de los contextos funerarios de este periodo. El grupo de investigadores que estuvimos trabajando los materiales de este yacimiento presentamos en las próximas páginas los resultados de nuestros estudios.
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One of the elements that defines the so-called "Pit Burial Horizon" is the presence within certain burials of a set of tools and ornaments which were made of exogenous materials or which their acquisition and processing required an... more
One of the elements that defines the so-called "Pit Burial Horizon" is the presence within certain burials of a set of tools and ornaments which were made of exogenous materials or which their acquisition and processing required an enormous investment effort Chronologically, we stand at end of the 5th and beginning of the 4th millennium cat. BC, a period that stands out due to the relevance of its funerary structures, usually burial chambers containing a single individual.
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Siguiendo la monografía que publicaron Francesc Riuró y Miquel Fusté en 1980 en la Associació Arqueològica de Girona sobre los yacimientos del Puig d’en Roca y Sant Julià de Ramis, hemos realizado el presente capítulo dedicado a la... more
Siguiendo la monografía que publicaron Francesc Riuró y Miquel Fusté en 1980 en la Associació Arqueològica de Girona sobre los yacimientos del Puig d’en Roca y Sant Julià de Ramis, hemos realizado el presente capítulo dedicado a la necrópolis del Puig d’en Roca.
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El presente trabajo se sustenta especialmente en la monografía que sobre los yacimientos del Puig d’en Roca y Sant Julià de Ramis publicaron en 1980 Francesc Riuró y Miquel Fusté en la Associació Arqueològica de Girona. En este catálogo... more
El presente trabajo se sustenta especialmente en la monografía que sobre los yacimientos del Puig d’en Roca y Sant Julià de Ramis publicaron en 1980 Francesc Riuró y Miquel Fusté en la Associació Arqueològica de Girona. En este catálogo mostramos los datos arqueológicos más relevantes. Los aspectos más específicos
relacionados con su descubrimiento, quién llevó la gestión inicial de los yacimientos, etc., pueden consultarse en dicho monográfico.En el marco del proyecto de investigación que estamos llevando a cabo, hemos realizado una serie de estudios y análisis cuyos resultados mostraremos a continuación. Acompañaremos la descripción de las tumbas y de los materiales con las fotografías que nosotros hemos realizado en el Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya (sede Girona). Tales fotos se complementan con los magníficos dibujos que en su momento ya publicaron F. Riuró y M. Fusté en la citada monografía.
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We present the results of an experimental program designed for studying the tools found in Middle Neolithic funerary contexts in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. The program addressed the manufacture and use of awls and spatulas... more
We present the results of an experimental program designed for studying the tools found in Middle Neolithic funerary contexts in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. The program addressed the manufacture and use of awls and spatulas made from goat metapods, and their analysis and documentation. It sheds light on significant aspects of the bone tool assemblages placed in the graves of the " Pit Burial Culture ". We present preliminary findings from Middle Neolithic necropolis in Catalonia, northwestern Iberia. Despite the heavy disturbance (due to natural processes but also consolidation, restoration and storage) we were able to determine the manufacturing process for these materials, as well as the use of some tools. Moreover, in some cases we found that the materials were not used, or were refitted before being deposited in the graves.

Citation: MOZOTA, M., PALOMO, A., CLEMENTE, I., GIBAJA, J. F. (2017 in press): "Experimental program: Neolithic awls and spatulas". In "Playing with the time. Experimental archeology and the study of the past", Rodrigo Alonso, David Canales, Javier Baena (Eds.), Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 2017 in press.
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The authors of this paper has been investigating for years the Neolithic funerary contexts of the culture known as “Sepulcros de Fosa”, in the Northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. Here we present the results obtained from the study of the... more
The authors of this paper has been investigating for years the Neolithic funerary contexts of the culture known as “Sepulcros de Fosa”, in the Northeast of the Iberian Peninsula. Here we present the results obtained from the study of the grave goods usually found in the burials of this cultural group. Ceramic vessels were generally placed in the graves long with the deceased, as well as lithic and bone tools, ornamental elements, and to a lesser extent, faunal remains. We discuss their morphological characteristics, the origin of the raw materials and the technical processes involved in their production. We also try to improve our knowledge of the function of some of these artefacts and their possible social or symbolic signification. This research falls within the I+D project started in 2011 and entitled “Aproximación a las primeras comunidades neolíticas del NE peninsular a través de sus prácticas funerarias” HAR2011-23149). All in all, each day we learn a little more about these communities.
We report on our experience using 3D capture and analysis technologies for the study of a particular type of Neolithic flint knapping.
In this paper, we present the latest results and current on-going analysis of the Neolithic grave godos associated with the communities that lived in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula between the 5th and 4th millennia cal BC. Aspects... more
In this paper, we present the latest results and current on-going analysis of the Neolithic grave godos associated with the communities that lived in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula between the 5th and 4th millennia cal BC. Aspects such as raw materials, tool morphologies, artefact distributions, production techniques and the degree of tool degree are addressed from a multidisciplinary point of view.
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Funerary structures recorded in Catalonia from the end of the 5th to the middle of the 4th millennia most often consist of inhumations of a single individual accompanied by various grave goods. Though animal remains and objects made from... more
Funerary structures recorded in Catalonia from the end of the 5th to the middle of the 4th millennia most often consist of inhumations of a single individual accompanied by various grave goods. Though animal remains and objects made from them are not especially abundant, the large number of excavated funerary structures has provided vertebrate faunal assemblages that enable us to make updated observations. In this paper, we present a compilation of these elements, employing data from the literature, as well as data obtained by our own studies. These animal materials consist of tools and ornamental objects. Complete animal burials and partial elements of these animals (especially from domestic species) were also recorded.
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The excavations carried out from 1983 to 1985 on an Andorran hillside by the former Andorra National Artistic Heritage Archaeological Research Service revealed one of the most important Neolithic sites in the Pyrenees. Directed by Xavier... more
The excavations carried out from 1983 to 1985 on an Andorran hillside by the former Andorra National Artistic Heritage Archaeological Research Service revealed one of the most important Neolithic sites in the Pyrenees. Directed by Xavier Llovera and Pere Canturri, the excavations uncovered a settlement with two interesting features: 1) it was located in a high mountain area, and 2) the same place possessed numerous domestic and funerary structures. Both factors have made La Feixa del Moro a key site in the prehistory of both the Pyrenees and the western Mediterranean in general. Three decades later, a pluridisciplinary team has begun a careful review of the documentation, studied the human remains and artefacts in the graves, carried out several forms of biochemical analysis and obtained new radiocarbon determinations for the individuals exhumed in two of the three burials in stone boxes (or cists). The objective is a better understanding of the first farming communities that settled in the Pyrenees.
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Les dades radiocarbòniques i la seva anàlisi durant el Neolític a les Valls d'Andorra Monografies del MAC 2, Barcelona 2018, ISBN: 978-84-393-9811-0 (PÀG. 91-100) INTRODUCCIÓ Andorra, tot i les reduïdes dimensions del seu terri-tori,... more
Les dades radiocarbòniques i la seva anàlisi durant el Neolític a les Valls d'Andorra Monografies del MAC 2, Barcelona 2018, ISBN: 978-84-393-9811-0 (PÀG. 91-100) INTRODUCCIÓ Andorra, tot i les reduïdes dimensions del seu terri-tori, compta amb un conjunt de jaciments neolítics que han esdevingut transcendents per a l'estudi de diferents fases del període, tant al territori català com al francès. Aquesta tradició en la recerca ha anat acompanyada de nombrosos estudis i anàli-sis interdisciplinaris. Alguns dels jaciments més ben coneguts, com la Balma de la Margineda i la Feixa del Moro, ja comptaven amb datacions radiocarbò-niques durant els anys vuitanta del segle XX, molt abans que altres territoris veïns. No obstant això, els avanços tècnics (sobretot l'aparició dels mètodes radiocarbònics accelerats, AMS) varen provocar que aquelles velles datacions, d'antuvi molt útils, hagin estat considerades com desfasades en els darrers anys. Recentment, diversos projectes de recerca han ob-tingut noves datacions en jaciments andorrans. Per una banda, des de l'arqueologia preventiva s'han datat els jaciments del Camp del Colomer i la Tom-ba de Segudet, i per una altra, tres projectes de recerca han obtingut noves datacions de la Balma de la Margineda, de la Feixa del Moro i de diverses estructures antròpiques a la vall de Madriu-Perafi-ta-Claror. En aquest treball, doncs, es presenten les datacions disponibles fins al moment als jaciments neolítics d'Andorra, des de les més antigues i problemàtiques fins a les més recents, algunes d'elles presentades aquí per primer cop. METODOLOGIA I REPRESENTATIVITAT DE LES DATACIONS RADIOCARBÒNIQUES Per tal de destriar quines són les datacions radiocar-bòniques vàlides dels jaciments andorrans, s›ha em-prat un mètode ja aplicat recentment per nosaltres (Morales et al. 2012; Oms 2014) basat en treballs anteriors de Bernabéu (2006) i Zilhão (2001, 2011). Aquest sistema analitza la qualitat de les datacions des de dos prismes: la qualitat del nivell de proce-dència i el tipus de material utilitzat per datar. Pel que fa als nivells arqueològics i la seva datació, són un tema d'extrema dificultat donada la feblesa del mètode emprat fins al moment pels arqueòlegs. Quan es data un nivell o estructura, el que realment es fa és obtenir una dada radiocarbònica del bio-material datat, no del nivell ni de la seva represen-tativitat. Depenent de la relació que aquest efectiu tingui amb el nivell i també depenent de la naturalesa i fiabilitat de l'estrat, la datació serà vàlida i represen
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Este trabajo se centra en la divulgación científi ca que hemos realizado en uno de los barrios con mayores problemas sociales del centro de Barcelona: El Raval. Desde el año 2013 venimos realizando en distintos espacios de este barrio un... more
Este trabajo se centra en la divulgación científi ca que hemos realizado
en uno de los barrios con mayores problemas sociales del centro de Barcelona: El Raval. Desde el año 2013 venimos realizando en distintos espacios de este barrio un conjunto de actividades divulgativas dirigidas a llevar a la calle los conocimientos que los investigadores del CSIC y de otras universidades catalanas tenemos sobre las comunidades que allí vivieron en la Prehistoria. La forma de divulgación se basa en la colaboración e implicación de las instituciones, asociaciones, entidades y vecinos en la organización, desarrollo, elaboración y difusión de las actividades. Esa implicación activa de todos esos agentes es la que le da cuerpo a una forma de divulgar la ciencia muy diferente a la que podemos encontrar en otros contextos como los museos, parques científi cos o exposiciones.
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The Sepulcros de Fosa is a historical period which has an extensive bibliographical record for northeastern Iberia. It has been attributed to the Middle Neolithic and dated to c.4000-3600 cal. BC. However, recent archaeological research... more
The Sepulcros de Fosa is a historical period which has an extensive bibliographical record for northeastern
Iberia. It has been attributed to the Middle Neolithic and dated to c.4000-3600 cal. BC. However, recent
archaeological research and several new radiocarbon dates indicate that the Sepulcros de Fosa culture
emerged earlier, during the Postcardial Neolithic period for nearly 800 years until the middle of 4th millennium
cal. BC. These dates were obtained as part of the project «Aproximación a las primeras comunidades neolíticas
del NE Peninsular a través de sus prácticas funerarias». The data indicate that the Sepulcros de Fosa began
first in the Penedès region and then moved to the Vallès region, where it reached its peak at c. 3500-3450
cal. BC.
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During the last decades we have gained a considerable amount of data about the Mesolithic lithic toolkit in the Western Mediterranean. A large set of instruments probably existed for a variety of purposes: foraging practices (both hunting... more
During the last decades we have gained a considerable amount of data about the Mesolithic lithic toolkit in the Western Mediterranean. A large set of instruments probably existed for a variety of purposes: foraging practices (both hunting and fishing), food processing, crafting activities, etc. Disposable tools, scarcely elaborated, coexisted with formal and more complex instruments, often composed of multiple parts and realized on a variety of raw-materials (e.g. stone, shell or bone inserts; bone or wood hafts, etc.). In this paper we will consider one particular type of tool that appears in the Western Mediterranean starting from the Seventh-Sixth millennia BC: the notched and denticulated blades. We will consider and interpret from a functional viewpoint materials from five different Late Mesolithic contexts: the Cocina Cave and Vallmayor IX in the NE of the Peninsula, Artusia rock-shelters in Navarre and Atxoste and Mendandia rock-shelters in the Basque country.

Riassunto Durante l'ultimo decennio, la nostra conoscenza dello strumentario litico Mesolitico nel Mediterraneo Oc-cidentale si è considerabilmente arricchita. Sappiamo che esistevano una varietà di strumenti utilizzati per scopi diversi: l'ottenimento di alimenti (sia attraverso la caccia, che la pesca), l'elaborazione di tali alimenti, la produzione di artefatti, etc. Strumenti di natura speditiva, scarsamente elaborati, coesisterono con strumenti formali, più complessi, spesso costituiti di più parti e di materie prime diverse (es. inserti in pietra, conchiglia, osso, manici in legno od osso, etc.). In questo articolo ci concentriamo su un particolare tipo di strumento che compare nel Mediterraneo Occidentale tra il VII-VI millennio a.C.: le lame a incavi e dentico-late. Consideriamo i materiali provenienti da cinque diverse siti del Mesolitico recente: la Grotta Cocina e il sito di Vallmayor IX nel nord-est della Penisola Iberica, il riparo sottoroccia di Artusia in Navarra e i siti di Atxoste e Mendandia nei Paesi Baschi e ne proponiamo un'interpretazione funzionale.
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RESUMEN En este trabajo se presentan y evalúan las 10 datacio-nes disponibles para los niveles neolíticos de la Balma Margineda (Andorra). Después de analizar la naturaleza de las muestras y sus contextos arqueoestratigráficos de... more
RESUMEN En este trabajo se presentan y evalúan las 10 datacio-nes disponibles para los niveles neolíticos de la Balma Margineda (Andorra). Después de analizar la naturaleza de las muestras y sus contextos arqueoestratigráficos de procedencia, consideramos que únicamente tres de ellas, realizadas recientemente, son aceptables. Éstas confieren una horquilla mucho más rejuvenecida de la ocupación de la que se proponía en base a las dataciones antiguas. En este nuevo escenario se analiza el material cerámico y lítico de los niveles in situ, para situar adecuadamente el yacimiento en el marco actual del conocimiento del Neolítico antiguo en esta región pirenaica. ABSTRACT This work discusses the radiocarbon evidence from the Neolithic layers of the Balma Margineda (Andorra). Since the last excavation campaigns during the '90s, a total of ten 14C dates has been obtained. We discuss their stratigraphic provenance and suggest that only three of the ten 14C dates should be considered reliable. The new dates assign the Neolithic occupations to a more recent chronology. Moreover, we also present a brief revision of the ceramic and lithic materials from the in situ Neolithic layers, in order reinterpret the site using the most recent data on the Early Neolithic of Pyrenean region.
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The northeast of the Iberian Peninsula is a region that so far has contributed little information on the transition between the last hunter-gatherer groups and the first farming communities. Although data about the Late Mesolithic is... more
The northeast of the Iberian Peninsula is a region that so far has contributed little information on the
transition between the last hunter-gatherer groups and the first farming communities. Although data
about the Late Mesolithic is still scanty, in recent years more information has been obtained about the
Early Neolithic as a consequence of several research projects and excavations. The few known Mesolithic
records and more abundant data on the Early Neolithic are studied here, highlighting the transition
between the two periods and the problem of the scarcity of information about the last Mesolithic huntergatherers.
With the available data, we propose a late extension of the ‘Notches and Denticulates
Mesolithic’ phase as the final Mesolithic population in the region. The first evidence of Neolithic communities
is then documented after a hiatus of about 500 years (c. 6000-5500 cal BC). These communities
initially settled in littoral and pre-littoral zones, although by c. 5300 cal BC they had occupied the rest of
northeast Iberia, including high mountain regions. From the start, these groups shared a consolidated
agricultural economy despite the fact specific differences are attested depending on their geographic
location.
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Funerary practices in the Neolithic show great variability, both within and between different regions of Europe, including inhumations, cremations, collective burials and disarticulation. Yet, there are also many similarities of practice... more
Funerary practices in the Neolithic show great variability, both within and between different regions of Europe, including inhumations, cremations, collective burials and disarticulation. Yet, there are also many similarities of practice shared across the continent. While the collective burials of the Atlantic façade and Northern Europe have been considered alongside each other as a cohesive phenomenon, practices of inhumation in single (or multiple) graves in cemeteries are rarely compared between broader regions at this time. This may be because of their familiarity, as inhumation in cemeteries is widely practiced in modern Europe. We would like to problematize the assumption that inhumation in cemeteries can be taken for granted. In addition, recent developments in archaeological science (e.g. a DNA, isotopes, dental calculus, radiocarbon dating, material culture studies), have meant that our ability to shed light on Neolithic social identity and organisation through inhumations and cemeteries has dramatically increased. This is particularly the case when large cemeteries can be compared and the results of scientific data integrated with the burial practices, such as orientation, body position and accompanying grave goods. In this session, we take a comparative approach to the inhumation burials found in Neolithic Europe, with a particular focus on those from central and southern regions. We invite submissions focused on Neolithic inhumation burial practices across Europe. Those with a focus on interdisciplinary research or bringing together multiple lines of different evidence are particularly welcome.
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The Archaeology of Social Dynamics Group of the IMF-CSIC has among its objectives to explain the social dynamics of human groups in Prehistory, starting from the detailed study of the productive and reproductive processes. With this... more
The Archaeology of Social Dynamics Group of the IMF-CSIC has among its objectives to explain the social dynamics of human groups in Prehistory, starting from the detailed study of the productive and reproductive processes. With this perspective, a series of reference collections have been created, and these materials have contributed to significant advances in the archaeological questions of our research projects. Besides, these reference materials have become relevant collections in global terms for archaeological research, attracting specialists and researchers in training who have been using them for years through agreements and institutional cooperation. All the collections are in permanent formation, increasing their scope and updating both from a methodological perspective and the one that refers to the application of new technologies. RESUMEN El Grupo de Arqueología de las Dinámicas Sociales de la IMF-CSIC tiene entre sus objetivos ex-plicar la dinámica social de los grupos humanos en la Prehistoria, a partir del estudio detallado de los procesos productivos y reproductivos. Con esta perspectiva se ha creado una serie de colecciones de referencia, y esos materiales han contribuido a avances significativos en las problemáticas arqueológi-cas de nuestros proyectos de investigación. Además, los materiales de referencia se han convertido en colecciones relevantes en términos globales para la investigación arqueológica, atrayendo a especialistas e investigadores en formación que los han estado utilizando durante años (a través de acuerdos y cooperación institucional). Todas nuestras colecciones están en formación permanente, aumentando su alcance y actualizándose tanto desde la perspectiva metodológica como en cuanto a la aplicación de nuevas tecnologías.
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El CSIC disposa en l’actualitat de més de 15.000 treballadors (1.654 d’ells a Catalunya), dels quals més de 3.000 són investigadors en plantilla i altres tants doctors i científics en formació. A Catalunya el CSIC disposa de 23 centres,... more
El CSIC disposa en l’actualitat de més de 15.000 treballadors (1.654 d’ells a Catalunya), dels quals més de 3.000 són investigadors en plantilla i altres tants doctors i científics en formació. A Catalunya el CSIC disposa de 23 centres, propis i mixtos, on també participa a diferents fundacions, consorcis de recerca i parcs científics. La recerca arqueològica realitzada a Catalunya des del CSIC té una llarga història tot i que s’ha dut a terme amb una certa discontinuïtat.
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1st Conference on EARLY NEOLITHIC of EUROPE (Barcelona, 6-8 November, 2019) This conference aims to be a meeting of researchers studying the early Neolithic in Europe and surroundings areas, in relation with the neolithisation process in... more
1st Conference on EARLY NEOLITHIC of EUROPE (Barcelona, 6-8 November, 2019)
This conference aims to be a meeting of researchers studying the early Neolithic in Europe and surroundings areas, in relation with the neolithisation process in the continent.
This process followed different rhythms and presented singularities in each geographic area, and was therefore a very complex phenomenon.
In order to address this scientific challenge, the conference is organised in nine thematic sessions:
1. Neolithic spread and supraregional interactions;
2. Chronology and modelling;
3. Human–environment interaction;
4. Population characteristics and dynamics;
5. Territory and settlement;
6. Subsistence;
7. Technological processes;
8. Funerary practices;
9. Symbolism.
We positively welcome multidisciplinary approaches, regional syntheses and/or contextualised case studies.
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Traditionally, the debate concerning the Neolithisation process has been focused on the study of both technical and cultural aspects, the origin and exploitation of domestic plants and animals as well as their chronological context.... more
Traditionally, the debate concerning the Neolithisation process has been focused on the study of both technical and cultural aspects, the origin and exploitation of domestic plants and animals as well as their chronological context. Although these aspects have still an important role within this debate, new topics and the application of brand-new techniques are contributing with relevant data in the last years. Among them, genetic and isotopic analyses, chronological and simulation models are some of the most relevant. These studies are reinforcing some hypothesis linked to the spread model, territorial patterns of these farming communities and the rhythm and chronology of the phenomena.
This session aims to encourage debate among researchers who focus their research on new studies and proposals related to the spread of the Neolithic, the tempo of the phenomena and the role of the hunter-gatherers communities in this process. Although this session is focused on the European region, it welcomes proposals from the origin and spread areas, such as the Near East or North of Africa.
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Archaeology has a great potential to motivate feelings of attachment and belonging. The materiality of remains, which can be seen and felt, creates deep connexions with those people of the past who contributed to create the world in which... more
Archaeology has a great potential to motivate feelings of attachment and belonging. The materiality of remains, which can be seen and felt, creates deep connexions with those people of the past who contributed to create the world in which we live today. This sense of place – which we all need to avoid loneliness and depression ‐, is even more important to people with social and special needs, as well as newcomers. This includes people with physical or mental disabilities and the elderly. Recent studies demonstrate the big impact and benefits that engagement with archaeological heritage can have on those sectors of society. With this session, we aim to connect researchers engaged with this social dimension of archaeology, and disseminate case studies in which archaeological heritage helped social inclusion and health.
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Every academic discipline is concerned in some way or other with the human being, but among the great variety of branches of knowledge there are some that focus more closely on the human condition and its capacity for cultural creation:... more
Every academic discipline is concerned in some way or other with the human being, but among the great variety of branches of knowledge there are some that focus more closely on the human condition and its capacity for cultural creation: as a whole these are referred to as the humanities.
Today reference is made, with some justification, to a ‘crisis in the humanities’, a problematic situation increasingly confronted by intellectuals and one that may have major consequences well beyond the cultural field as such. Are the humanities necessary? We believe they are; indeed, we are absolutely convinced they are. It would be difficult to learn to live together, not only amongst each other as human beings but also with the environment which we inhabit, if we do not do so on the basis of knowledge and values inherent to and offered by the humanities.
One of the characteristic traits of humanities studies is critical thinking, not only as regards what is necessary in order to deepen knowledge, but also as regards academic practice in the disciplines. This means that continual re-thinking is required since not to do so would imply lack of awareness of the profound changes—and so  needs—experienced by society, changes that without a doubt are already taking place in a process of constant acceleration.
What direction, then, should the humanities follow given the changes and social challenges that confront us today? What should their role be in the highly critical anthropocene moment in which we are living? To what extent do the humanities need reformulation, reconsideration or even overturning of the very humanist mode of thinking from which they derive?
These are some of the questions to be tackled by specialists in the field throughout the international conference ‘Humanities in Transition’ organized by the Institution Milà i Fontanals of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 23-26 October 2018, to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the Institute’s foundation.

Information: http://humanitiesconference.imf.csic.es/

Scientific Committee:
    Ivan Armenteros Martínez
    Oliver Hochadel
    Tess Knighton
    Josep Martí
    Débora Zurro Hernández

Organizational Committee:
    Secretary: Carmen Losada Fernández, Marta Manso Rubio
    Administration: Pilar Sánchez, Ana Jiménez, José Fructuoso
    Publicity: Maria Gil, Álvaro Rodríguez de la Fuente
    General organization: Ivan Armenteros Martínez

Coordination: Josep Martí
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This conference aims to be a meeting of researchers studying the early Neolithic in Europe and surroundings areas, in relation with the neolithisation process in the continent. This process followed different rhythms and presented... more
This conference aims to be a meeting of researchers studying the early Neolithic in Europe and surroundings areas, in relation with the neolithisation process in the continent.
This process followed different rhythms and presented singularities in each geographic area, and was therefore a very complex phenomenon.
In order to address this scientific challenge, the conference is organised in nine thematic sessions:
1. Neolithic spread and supraregional interactions;
2. Chronology and modelling;
3. Human–environment interaction;
4. Population characteristics and dynamics;
5. Territory and settlement;
6. Subsistence;
7. Technological processes;
8. Funerary practices;
9. Symbolism.
We positively welcome multidisciplinary approaches, regional syntheses and/or contextualised case studies.
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This paper aims to explore the existence of a sexual division of labour and possible gender inequalities. In the framework of the research project entitled “Approach to the first North-Eastern Iberian Neolithic communities through their... more
This paper aims to explore the existence of a sexual division of labour and possible gender inequalities. In the framework of the research project entitled “Approach to the first North-Eastern Iberian Neolithic communities through their funerary practices”, a series of analyses have been performed, as well as a review of the characteristics that define the social relationships of the so-called “Pit Burials” sepulchres, comprising the structures, the buried individuals and their grave goods. In the present paper, our aim is to cross-reference the results of the lithic use-wear and raw material determination analyses with those performed by other researchers such as isotopic determinations, radiocarbon dating, taphonomical studies, bone industry, use-wear analysis and osteoarchaeological analysis of skeletal remains. Through statistical analysis, a contribution will be made to our understanding of Neolithic people's methods of producing, distributing and consuming goods, as well as their traditions regarding the symbolic ritualisation of those patterns.
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This paper reports the results of a series of recent experiments in which stone adzes and axes were used in woodworking, butchering, hide processing and hoeing activities. The aim of this work is to describe progress in the... more
This paper reports the results of a series of recent experiments in which stone adzes and axes were used in woodworking, butchering, hide processing and hoeing activities. The aim of this work is to describe progress in the differentiation between the various kinds of use-wear on polished stone surfaces. The ultimate objective is to create a reference collection suitable for performing the use-wear analysis on polished adzes and axes discovered in archaeological contexts. Particularly, we wish to contribute to the understanding of the role that these tools played in the different economic and ritual activities of the Neolithic communities living in the North East of the Iberian Peninsula around the middle of the 5th and 4th millennium cal. BC.
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Oviedo: Del 1 a 10 de abril de 2019
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